Catholic Ecological Response
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St. Francis of Assisi
There is a long history of ecological spirituality within Catholicism. The first major figure was St. Francis of Assisi, who talked to the birds and communed with nature. St. Francis (1182 to 1226) saw the intimate connections between humans and the natural world long before there was an environmental movement. Stories of his life reveal that, when he was not busy with the affairs of the Franciscans, the religious order he founded, the Italian friar preached to birds and tamed a marauding wolf. Francis also wrote a poem, the “Canticle of Brother Sun,” praising God for all of nature. The poem refers to “Sister Moon and the Stars,” “Brothers Wind and Air,” and “Sister Water.” It is to this canticle that Pope Francis returns for the title of his encyclical, Laudato Si (2015) Early criticism of the Traditional Theology With the rise of the environmental movement since the 1960s, ecological concerns have been voiced by many Catholics. Some Catholics began thinking about ecology in a new way. Many began to recognise that traditional readings of Genesis, even those contained in the Documents of Vatican II were suspect. Genesis 1:26 gives human beings “dominion” over all of creation. On this basis, Gaudium et spes remarks that “…all things on earth should be related to man as their centre an crown” #12 Such readings were criticised as anthropocentric and some even claimed that Christianity carried a significance burden of fault for ecological crisis that was beginning to be understood more fully. Some saw in this new ecological, cosmological awareness a need to liberate traditional Catholic thinking. Theologian Rosemary Reuther, linked ecological concerns to feminist concerns and came up with a new cause, “eco-feminism.” Eco-feminism criticizes traditional male power structures, claiming that they do damage to both women and nature. Catholic thinkers such as Michael Dowd, Thomas Berry, Sean McDonagh and John F Haught have worked to integrate these concerns into Catholic doctrine in dialogue with creation science. The Official Church response was later. https://classroom.synonym.com/eco-spirituality-the-catholic-church-12087435.html Sean McDonaugh - Emergence of Contemporary Social Justice / Anthropology / Ecological Justice
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Official Church Position
Official Catholic Church statements (from popes and other Vatican sources) have lagged behind the pronouncements of those theologians - such as Berry and Reuther - who have wholeheartedly embraced ecological spirituality. However, in the past 30 years the official church has shown increased awareness of the fragility of the earth’s ecology. Official church statements have now begun to emphasize the profound bond between humans and nature. The evolution of this theme in catholic social teaching has been steady but profound. The need for ecological conversion was recognised firstly by John Paul II and reiterated by Benedict XVI. In 1987 in the encyclical Sollicitudo Rei Socialis (On Social Concerns) #29 John Paul II picks up on Genesis Chapter 2:15 where the man is in the garden of Eden "to cultivate and care for it." The pope says that humans must use their "dominion" of creation to its proper purpose. "... man must remain subject to the will of God, who imposes limits upon his use and dominion over things (cf. Gen 2:16-17). In #26 John Paul has already acknowledged the positive impact of ecological concern. "Among today's positive signs we must also mention a greater realization of the limits of available resources, and of the need to respect the integrity and the cycles of nature and to take them into account when planning for development … Today this is called ecological concern." Pope John Paul II Encyclical Sollicitudo Rei Socialis (On Social Concerns) (1987) #26 At last, in 1990 in John Paul II's famous World Day of Peace Message 1 January 1990 he addressees the ecological crisis. Faced with the widespread destruction of the environment, people everywhere are coming to understand that we cannot continue to use the goods of the Earth as we have in the past. #1 Today, the dramatic threat of ecological breakdown is teaching us the extent to which greed and selfishness - both individual and collective - are contrary to the order of creation, an order which is characterized by mutual interdependence. #8 Our very contact with nature has a deep restorative power; contemplation of its magnificence imparts peace and serenity. #14 the ecological crisis is a moral issue. #15 In his General Audience of Wednesday 17 January 2001, John Paul II acknowledged that there was an ecological conversion underway and that it should be supported. We must therefore encourage and support the "ecological conversion" which in recent decades has made humanity more sensitive to the catastrophe to which it has been heading. #4. This communication is titled, God made man the steward of creation. Pope Benedict XVI’s encyclical, “Caritas in Veritate” (“Charity in Truth”, 2009), emphasized the importance of living in harmony with nature and his World Day of Peace Message 1 January 2010 was titled: If you want to cultivate peace, protect creation. #1 Benedict goes on to say that ... The environment must be seen as God’s gift to all people, and the use we make of it entails a shared responsibility for all humanity, especially the poor and future generations.#2 While the church still considers humans as having special dignity, its teachings had begun to demonstrate a greater appreciation of the natural world. And then there was Laudato Si
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Laudato Si
Models in the ChristianDominion Model - Genesis 1
Stewardship Model - Genesis 2 Kinship Model - Genesis 2 (Francis of Assisi) |
Stewardship & KinshipPope Francis live in the middle ground.
Culpability for Ecological Sinfulness, Solidarity with those who follow, Solidarity with living and non-living |
Laudato Si (Summary)
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Stances of the Catholic Church in the face of the Environmental Movement
Broadly speaking theologians have understood humanity’s relation to creation in terms of three models. These stances are in evidence in the development of the catholic social teaching on the environment. The dominion model has tended to pit humans against the rest of creation. The stewardship model sees humans have an ecological responsibility or duty to creation. The kinship model is filial. Humans are interconnected with creation.
All three models affirm God brought a ‘good’ creation into existence – both inanimate and sensate, human and animal, seen and unseen. All find warrant in scripture.
The Dominion Model sees humans as the head of creation, set apart and distinct. They are made in God’s image to exercise sovereign rule on God’s behalf – they represent God’s authority over the creation. Creation is for humans, all is given for them to enjoy and control. This world view objectifies nature by seeing it as ‘out there’, as ‘other’, an object to serve humanity’s needs.
The Stewardship Model still sees humans as central and representing God to creation but as guardians and gardeners, who are tasked with unfolding the creation within limits and in obedience to God’s Word. The world belongs to God. God lives in his world and interacts with it so humans are to treat it with respect and care. They too are made of dust like the rest of creation and are creatures before God, yet as image bearers of God they have a special place and responsibility.
The emphasis in this world view is upon obedience and duty. Humans have a vocation, a mandate, before God to care for the rest of creation.
The Community of Creation (or Kinship) Model springs very much from St. Francis’ creation mysticism and thought, and can be seen running throughout Pope Francis thought, though especially in his second chapter.
In this model the emphasis is on humanity’s interconnection with the rest of creation which exists to give glory to God. The whole creation is in communication with God who simultaneously discloses himself through creation.
Like the Stewardship model the Kinship model recognises we are made from the earth, that we share this origin in common, only we are God breathed – this is what make us the same even as we are different from the rest of creation. The Kinship model says, “we are creation” and starts from there.
- The Dominion Model
- The Stewardship Model
- The Community of Creation or Kinship Model
All three models affirm God brought a ‘good’ creation into existence – both inanimate and sensate, human and animal, seen and unseen. All find warrant in scripture.
The Dominion Model sees humans as the head of creation, set apart and distinct. They are made in God’s image to exercise sovereign rule on God’s behalf – they represent God’s authority over the creation. Creation is for humans, all is given for them to enjoy and control. This world view objectifies nature by seeing it as ‘out there’, as ‘other’, an object to serve humanity’s needs.
The Stewardship Model still sees humans as central and representing God to creation but as guardians and gardeners, who are tasked with unfolding the creation within limits and in obedience to God’s Word. The world belongs to God. God lives in his world and interacts with it so humans are to treat it with respect and care. They too are made of dust like the rest of creation and are creatures before God, yet as image bearers of God they have a special place and responsibility.
The emphasis in this world view is upon obedience and duty. Humans have a vocation, a mandate, before God to care for the rest of creation.
The Community of Creation (or Kinship) Model springs very much from St. Francis’ creation mysticism and thought, and can be seen running throughout Pope Francis thought, though especially in his second chapter.
In this model the emphasis is on humanity’s interconnection with the rest of creation which exists to give glory to God. The whole creation is in communication with God who simultaneously discloses himself through creation.
Like the Stewardship model the Kinship model recognises we are made from the earth, that we share this origin in common, only we are God breathed – this is what make us the same even as we are different from the rest of creation. The Kinship model says, “we are creation” and starts from there.
Impact of Catholic Environmental Teaching
Impact on the Challenge
Awareness of the challenge has been raised immeasurably
There can be no doubt that the development of Catholic social teaching addressing the challenge of the ecological state of the planet, its causes and associated impacts especially on the global poverty, has had a dramatic effect on the challenge. Papal statements have had their detractors but awareness of the challenge has been raised immeasurably by this teaching. For example a New York Times article published after Laudato Si highlighted the crisis from climate change and questions if humans are at fault included the Pope's observations of the reckless pursuit of profits and excessive faith in technology which has caused the most vulnerable victims, the world's poor, suffering. (Yardley, Jim, and Laurie Goodstein. "Pope Francis, in Sweeping Encyclical, Calls for Swift Action on Climate Change." The New York Times. June 18, 2015)
Critics of climate change to react strongly
Even in the lead up to the release of Laudato Si the right wing was preparing its preemptive strike. The pope was being discredited for his lack of economic and scientific acumen and being reminded to focus on theology and morality. There were even climate change skeptics high in the Vatican. The encyclical was leaked and almost all US presidential candidates were commenting negatively on its contents. This was in sharp relief to the warm welcome given by President Obama to the climate change pope on his US visit in 2104. President Obama took the opportunity to praise Francis’s stance on climate change, telling the pope: “you remind us that we have a sacred obligation to protect our planet—God’s magnificent gift to us.” (https://www.theguardian.com/global/2015/sep/23/watch-the-moment-the-pope-urged-america-to-act-on-climate-change)
Prompted significant support
On the release of the document there was both praise and derision. On the one had were the detractors. The Remnant Newspaper (Conservative) ran an article on one Catholic's view on why he sees the encyclical as an embarrassment. The author does not believe in global warming stating he has not seen any change around him. He also disagrees with the idea that the world is connected. (Jackson, Chris. "Why I'm Disregarding Laudato Si and You Should Too." The Remnant Newspaper. June 19, 2015.) On the other hand were those who held the encyclical in high regard. An article in Time magazine about the Secretary of State, John Kerry, calling the encyclical a powerful statement on the threat of climate change. It claims that Kerry praises the Pope for being able to create a movement both politically and morally that many nations can follow. (Dias, Elizabeth. "John Kerry Praises Pope Francis' Climate Change Encyclical." Time. June 18, 2015.)
http://library.loras.edu/c.php?g=337751&p=2864455
Ongoing Vatican Strategy
There is no sign that the Vatican is waning in its resolve to alter the course of community action in favour of sustainability in response to climate change. A roundtable at the Pontifical Academy of Sciences held on 2 November, 2016 put forward a list of means and principles to actualize the vision of Laudato Si
There can be no doubt that the development of Catholic social teaching addressing the challenge of the ecological state of the planet, its causes and associated impacts especially on the global poverty, has had a dramatic effect on the challenge. Papal statements have had their detractors but awareness of the challenge has been raised immeasurably by this teaching. For example a New York Times article published after Laudato Si highlighted the crisis from climate change and questions if humans are at fault included the Pope's observations of the reckless pursuit of profits and excessive faith in technology which has caused the most vulnerable victims, the world's poor, suffering. (Yardley, Jim, and Laurie Goodstein. "Pope Francis, in Sweeping Encyclical, Calls for Swift Action on Climate Change." The New York Times. June 18, 2015)
Critics of climate change to react strongly
Even in the lead up to the release of Laudato Si the right wing was preparing its preemptive strike. The pope was being discredited for his lack of economic and scientific acumen and being reminded to focus on theology and morality. There were even climate change skeptics high in the Vatican. The encyclical was leaked and almost all US presidential candidates were commenting negatively on its contents. This was in sharp relief to the warm welcome given by President Obama to the climate change pope on his US visit in 2104. President Obama took the opportunity to praise Francis’s stance on climate change, telling the pope: “you remind us that we have a sacred obligation to protect our planet—God’s magnificent gift to us.” (https://www.theguardian.com/global/2015/sep/23/watch-the-moment-the-pope-urged-america-to-act-on-climate-change)
Prompted significant support
On the release of the document there was both praise and derision. On the one had were the detractors. The Remnant Newspaper (Conservative) ran an article on one Catholic's view on why he sees the encyclical as an embarrassment. The author does not believe in global warming stating he has not seen any change around him. He also disagrees with the idea that the world is connected. (Jackson, Chris. "Why I'm Disregarding Laudato Si and You Should Too." The Remnant Newspaper. June 19, 2015.) On the other hand were those who held the encyclical in high regard. An article in Time magazine about the Secretary of State, John Kerry, calling the encyclical a powerful statement on the threat of climate change. It claims that Kerry praises the Pope for being able to create a movement both politically and morally that many nations can follow. (Dias, Elizabeth. "John Kerry Praises Pope Francis' Climate Change Encyclical." Time. June 18, 2015.)
http://library.loras.edu/c.php?g=337751&p=2864455
Ongoing Vatican Strategy
There is no sign that the Vatican is waning in its resolve to alter the course of community action in favour of sustainability in response to climate change. A roundtable at the Pontifical Academy of Sciences held on 2 November, 2016 put forward a list of means and principles to actualize the vision of Laudato Si
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1. Expand the dialogue with those with influence and power (noting specifically those who drive investment decisions) on the dovetailing of environmental and social issues - “the book of nature is one and indivisible” - and its relevance and implications; toward that end establish a sustainable investment advisory committee for the Vatican’s own investment activities.
2. Continued personal engagement and presence of the Pope in delivering and keeping current the message of Laudato Si’. The more Pope Francis speaks about climate change and Laudato Si’, the more he will influence public opinion around the world. 3. A detailed and well resourced communication and messaging strategy for Laudato Si’, targeted to diverse audiences, which stresses the urgency of the challenge. A plan, differentiated in style, tone, pace and suggested terms of engagement for the four different generations that are active at this moment in history. The different generations should be addressed on their own terms, and with their input. Engage leaders in social media to spread and evolve the message of Laudato Si‘. 4. That the institution of the Catholic Church, serving as spiritual guide and moral messenger, also serve as physical and behavioral example, modeling in microcosm, the planetary vision of Laudato Si’ by accelerating the conversion to sustainable stewardship of its own land and assets, the Church’s training programs for priests being a powerful, integral aspect. 5. Promote an interdisciplinary interfaith forest, land and climate initiative - which acknowledges the “mysterious relations between things” - convened and directed by an inclusive public private partnership. 6. Be aware of and address the emotional and spiritual implications and sorrow deriving from our “disfigurement” of our common home, which we have “burdened and laid waste,” and from distressing commercialism, which “baffle[s] the heart.” Laudato Si’ needs to be widely discussed, shared and acted upon in public and mental health circles, for which it has profound relevance. Principles to incorporate in the various work of our communities, and additional points of discussion 7. Understand the relationship between “velocity” of current culture and the loss of internal, spiritual time and time for reflection, which is necessary for building a just and compassionate society. “The faster they were carried, the less time they had to spare!” (Booth Tarkington, 1918) 8. Recognize that energy poverty is a major impediment to equity and harmony both within and between communities and nations, and greatly impedes our progress in sustaining the Earth as our common home. 9. Support grass roots activist movements and individuals, as powerful countervailing as well as spiritually enriching forces that make the need for global stewardship vibrant and accessible. 10. Assure that indigenous forest inhabitants have meaningful work that arises from their values, and their relationship to the land. Assure that there are specific avenues for the wisdom of these communities to permeate our atomized civil societies. |
11. Encourage down to earth dialogue among faith communities and civil society on the subject of environmental market mechanisms which, like any other tool, can be used either for good or ill, remaining mindful that the Economy is a subset of Nature, and not the other way around.
12. Support governments in crafting policies and laws which reflect our moral and spiritual obligations to each other and to Nature, as they translate into physical and material obligations.13. Work to establish local and national commitments to use-inspired basic research, required for sustainable energy and water systems and valuing forests. Research and innovation is a vital tool in implementing the Encyclical, will foster beneficent new technologies, narrow the gap between Nature and technology, and allow people and Nature again to “extend a friendly hand to one another.” 14. We need a change of heart; we need to increase tenderness towards each other and the environment, and the way we will get there is not built solely on greater analytical insights and new policy, but also moving aesthetic experiences that raise our minds, hearts, and souls towards the good the transcendental, and the holy. 15. Diets of those consuming industrially produced meat, notably cattle, require a disproportionate amount of arable land, and water. This extravagant inequity highlights that, as with what we purchase, what we eat is a moral choice. Nature’s bounty can be sufficient for all needs, but not all greed. 16. Engage the spiritual infrastructure of our world geographically, and include georeligious dynamics in dialogues about environmental programs and policy. Keep the spirit of Laudato Si' alive, repeated, and deeply ingrained in communities of faith through communications media, actionable geography-relevant materials (like maps with guided land-use and land/facility maintenance suggestions for various dioceses), and through scientific, and NGO partnerships. 17. Disseminate a central lesson of Laudato Si’: that we bear moral responsibility for the full lifecycle of activity resulting from our individual economic actions. We each have personal responsibility for the environmental harm caused by the energy we use or the food we eat, any inequity or injustice in the product supply chains that provide us goods and services, and the byproducts and waste we create. 18. Operationally capitalize on and expand the commonalities between religions, communities, and beliefs around the planet, a shared language that can build understanding and cooperation to support sustainability. 19. Laudato Si’, explicitly and implicitly, grounds our material reality in a cosmological view of interrelatedness - in the tradition of St. Francis, Teilhard de Chardin, Thomas Berry, among others - proclaiming the Universe a “communion of subjects,” and not “a collection of objects.” (Thomas Berry, 1999) http://www.pas.va/content/accademia/en/events/2016/roundtable.html |
Impact in the Catholic Community
Within the Catholic communion pope Francis’ ecological teaching which progresses the environmental teaching initiated by John Paul II and Benedict XVI has been widely accepted as a positive acknowledgement of the realities that Catholics face in faith and in living a moral life. On a planet conflicted over environmental issues, the Catholic tradition insists that we show our respect for the Creator by our stewardship of creation. Care for the earth is not just an Earth Day slogan, it is a requirement of our faith. We are called to protect people and the planet, living our faith in relationship with all of God's creation. This environmental challenge has fundamental moral and ethical dimensions that cannot be ignored. (US Conference of Catholic Bishops)
Global, National and Local Movements. The internal fruits of the teaching are readily observable in the formation of local and international activities. An international example is the Global Catholic Environmental Movement established out of Franciscan connection in the USA. Most international groups have a significant internet presence. An local example is Catholic Earthcare Australia established in 2002. This organization has been at the forefront of raising consciousness about ecological conversion and what that can look like. Even more locally, the diocese of Ballarat has a Diocesan Ecological Sustainability Group that seeks to impact parish ecological thinking. Awareness of our social and ecological responsibility is growing in the Catholic pews. Catholic pride, at a low ebb for years following sexual abuse scandals, is on the rise as the shepherd pope takes seriously one of the central international issues of our time. Ecumenism and Prayer In 2015 Pope Francis asked Catholics to join with the Orthodox Church to celebrate the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation. A number of other Christian churches had already joined them in it for a number of years. Now the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation is an annual event in the Catholic Church too. The extraordinary Year of Mercy of 2016 had an ecological focus that grew out of Laudato Si and the largest religious group on the planet was engaged in the dialogue of mercy. In 2017 Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew joined together to make a statement for The Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation Internally there are detractors, largely among traditionalists and conservatives, who have denounced the teachings of Francis as ill-informed. Some have express disappointment with Laudato Si and voiced their dissent in right wing Catholic media outlets and are seeking to polarize the faithful. 
http://saltandlighttv.org/creation/
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Impact in SocietyPolarisation and Harmonisation Defined
The actions of a religious tradition can tend to either polarise or harmonise its connections within society. The impact of the Catholic response on climate change has had both types of impact. In industrial societies that are dynamic, multicultural and pluralist Pope Francis’ and Catholic Social Teaching on the environment has had its supporters and its knockers. On the harmonising side, the relationship between religion and society can be transformative for both, leading to deeper agreement, and less animosity. The relationship is a complex one. The bonds within society can grow in strength simply because people of faith are faithful to their religious vision for societies of peace and justice. These bonds are powerful and far reaching and can be used to heal and to reconcile the human race. The impact of the catholic response has been largely harmonising bring about: a convergence of religious thinking, an increased desire for human actions to match the rhetoric of global concern, a call for global dialogue even with detractors; support for the marginalised. Convergence of Religious Thinking At the time of the release experts at Yale were claiming that Laudato Si had the potential to transform the global discussion on climate change for Catholics and non-Catholics alike by projecting the planetary crisis into moral and religious terms at a critical moment in global climate negotiations. The release itself was timed to attract global attention in advance of UN climate talks in Paris later in that year and the pope’s upcoming addresses to the UN and the U.S. Congress. The experts went on to say that a strong message from the pope will resonate with religious leaders across the world, and empower those already working on environmental issues. It is a moment of convergence. It’s not just one religious leader that is picking up on it and has been hammering at the door talking about climate change. We’re seeing a chorus of voices coming from around the world. Rhetoric and Matching Action On one hand, the openness to and appreciation of scientific ideas by the Vatican is connecting with people at a level that gives the Church a new relevance for many. Positive environmental teaching is one thing, but as the Church is addressing its own ecological footprint, the world is taking notice. The Vatican Bank and Diocesan and parish funds are choosing sustainable investment options. Diocesan and parish environmental audits are visible expressions of Catholic actions that match the rhetoric. Local initiatives in this space like Assisi in Australia are leading the road to sustainability with religious communities. Because the pope is using all opportunities for positive practical action on ecological concerns, social support is growing and the impact of the teaching on building social environmental attitudes is positive. The Call for Global Dialogue even with Detractors On the other hand because society is diverse, the pope does have critics but they tend to be to be those who have always been anti-climate change, anti-religion or anti-Church. This is the polarising impact of the Catholic response to climate change. The papal claim that this is a religious issue has been contentious in some quarters. The new atheists refuse to accept anything that implies Godly connection or worse, from their perspective, anything that offers notions of divinely inspired moral or ecological conversion. Also many industrialists refuse to accept anything that might temper their profit motives or indeed any critique of laisse-faire capitalism. Catholic ecological teaching makes demands that bite into the environmental disconnect of many industrial regimes around the globe. While this appeals to many liberal minded people and those on the left of politics, the pope's message is addressed to all the inhabitants of the planet, seeking to promote a global dialogue that is the way to a renewal of global hope, salvation for the poor and restoration of the earth. Voice of the Marginalised The stance of the Vatican to global warming on the less industrialized, poorer and more marginalized nations is welcomed. It gives extra volume to their voice. Their concerns include literally being swamped by climate change. Island nations like Kiribati and the Solomon Islands are experiencing evacuation and displacement as sea levels rise in the pacific. The world needs to act in support of the human stress caused by this new reality. The pope met with the leaders of Kiribati in early 2015. Later that year, Laudato Si would make reference to rising unprecedented sea levels. LS # 23 As it enacts its vision for a world community based on peace, justice, care for our common home and love, the Catholic community offers a challenge and hope that these fruits of God's kingdom may be known on a global scale. | ||