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Care for Creation: Our Spiritual Legacy
Catholic Social Teaching Enters its Ecological Phase
An ethos of creation care is firmly grounded within the Christian tradition. Here are some of the important historical and
contemporary Catholic voices speaking for creation care.
Catholic Social Teaching
The concern for justice in society has a long history within the Catholic tradition originating in the Hebrew and Christian
scriptures, and continuing in the contemporary body of Catholic social teaching as found in papal and hierarchical documents,
beginning in 1891 with the encyclical of Pope Leo XIII entitled Rerum Novarum (On the Condition of Labor) and continuing
to the present.
In addition, the letters of the Catholic Bishops from various regions of the world relating to social issues constitute a fuller
development of the above primary source. All of these documents taken together constitute what has often been called
“Catholic Social Teaching.”
Over the years certain pivotal ideas in these documents have come to be identified as the principles of Catholic Social
Thought. As listed by the U.S. Catholic Bishops in 2008, these are:
1. Human Dignity, the Equality of Persons and Respect for Human Life
2. The Social Nature of Human Beings, Common Good and Solidarity Among Peoples
3. Option for the Poor
4. Participation in Community Life: Rights and Duties
5. The Dignity of Work and the Rights of the Worker
6. Care of Creation
Catholic Social Teaching Expand to Include Care for Creation
For some time now, contemporary theologians have been pointing to the fact that the concerns of justice have passed beyond
the tasks of governing the life of the individual and even of society at large, to the public project of maintaining the life and
health of planet.
This insight found expression at the level of Papal documents for the first time in a letter entitled, A Call to Action, written
by Pope Paul VI in 1971.
“There are certain questions which because of their urgency, extent, and complexity must in the years to come take
fist place among the preoccupations of Christians…. (With others) they must dedicate themselves to solving these
difficulties which put the very future of humankind in jeopardy…. By an ill-considered exploitation, humankind
risks destroying nature and becoming the victim of this degradation.”
Since 1971, ecological concerns have been consistently raised in documents written by both the Pope and Bishops of the
Catholic Church. Some of these documents have been devoted entirely to ecological concerns. A sampling includes:
• 1975 – This Land is Home to Me, Catholic Bishops of Appalachia
• 1980 – Strangers and Guests, Toward Community in the Heartland, United States Midwest Bishops
• 1987 – Pastoral Letter on the Relationship of Human Beings to Nature, Bishops of the Dominican Republic
• 1988 – The Cry for Land, Guatemalan Bishops
• 1990 – The Ecological Crisis: A Common Responsibility, Pope John Paul II
• 1991 – Renewing the Earth, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
• 1995 – At Home in the Web of Life, Catholic Bishops of Appalachia
• 1996 – The Common Good and Catholic Social Teaching, Bishops of England and Wales
• 1998 – Celebrate Life: Care for Creation, Bishops of Alberta, Canada
• 1998 – What is Happening to our Beautiful Land, Philippine Bishops
• 1998 – Reclaiming the Vocation to Care for Earth, Bishops of New Mexico
• 1999 – Pastoral Statement on the Environmental Crisis: Southern African Bishops’ Conference
• 2001 – Global Climate Change, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
• 2001 – Columbia River Watershed: Caring for Creation and the Common Good: Bishops of US Northwest and
Canada Southwest
• 2002 – And God Saw That It was Good, Bishops of Boston
• 2002 – The Call of Creation: The Natural Environment and Catholic Social Teaching, Bishops of England and
Wales
• 2002 – A New Earth – The Environmental Challenge, Australian Bishops
• 2005 – Climate Change: Our Responsibility to Sustain God’s Earth, Australian Bishops
• 2006 – Cultivating Care for All Creation, Florida Bishops
• 2007 – Who Is My Neighbor? Australia’s Role as a Global Citizen, Australian Bishops
• 2009 – Our Relationship with the Environment: The Need for Conversion, Canadian Conference of Catholic
Bishops
Growing Awareness of the Environmental Crisis
First Papal Statement on the Emerging Environmental Crisis – by Pope John Paul II on January 1, 1990:
“In our day, there is a growing awareness that world peace is threatened not only by the arms race, regional conflicts
and continued injustices among peoples and nations, but also by a lack of due respect for nature, by the plundering
of natural resources and by a progressive decline in the quality of life. The sense of precariousness and insecurity
that such a situation engenders is a seedbed for collective selfishness, disregard for others and dishonesty.
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. The public in general as well as political leaders
are concerned about this problem, and experts from a wide range of disciplines are studying its causes. Moreover, a
new ecological awareness is beginning to emerge which, rather than being downplayed, ought to be encouraged to
develop into concrete programmes and initiatives.” – Pope John Paul II, World Day of Peace, January 1, 1990
Expansion of Catholic Social Principles into Care for Creation
A careful study of church documents shows that as the Pope and the Catholic Bishops continue to reflect on the signs of
the times, the principles of Catholic Social Thought are being interpreted more broadly so as to embrace the urgency of our
planetary crisis.
Human Dignity
Increasingly the promotion of human dignity is being understood in relationship to the health of the larger Earth
community.
• In 1998, the Bishops of the Philippines stated that, “Creation is the ultimate pro-life issue.”
• In 2002 the Bishops of Boston noted that, “The promotion of human dignity cannot be separated from our care
and protection of creation.”
Respect for the Commons
• In 1998, a call for recognition of the common good to go beyond the achievement of solely human potential came
from the Bishops of Alberta, Canada. They stated, “The common good needs to be expanded to include a healthy
natural environment.”
• The Bishops of the Columbia River in the Pacific Northwest noted in 2001 that “the watershed is to be understood
as a common good.”
• In 2002, the Bishops of the United States noted that “global climate change is about the common good.”
Preferential Option for the Poor
The principle of preferential option for the poor takes note not only of the economic burdens of people who are poor,
but as evidenced by the words of the Bishops of Florida in their 2006 document, increasingly points to “those least
able to protect themselves and who suffer the consequence of an unhealthy environment.”
The Earth Was Not Created for Exploitation
As the natural world is increasingly recognized for its intrinsic value and not merely for its instrumental value, care
for creation becomes, in the words of the bishops of the Philippines, “an inseparable dimension of the Christian
vocation.”
The Bible and Creation
Sacred Scripture calls believers to care for God’s creation and all of God’s children.
• As creation unfolded under God’s loving hand, God saw all that had been made and found it “very good” (Genesis
1:31).
• God created the human person in the “divine image” placing the human creature at the summit of the created
order. Being in the image of God, the human individual possesses the dignity of a person who is not just
something but someone. (Genesis 1:27)
• God also blesses the other creatures who share the Earth and makes clear the connection that exists between all
living things (Genesis 1:27-31).
• God calls humans “stewards” to care for the garden God created. (Genesis 2:15)
• The natural world serves as a source of inspiration for our faith and our love for the Creator: “How majestic is
your name in all the Earth!” (Psalm 8:9)
Statements by Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI frequently speaks about the environmental crisis with increasing urgency:
“We cannot simply do what we want with this Earth of ours, with what has been entrusted to us. We must respect
the interior laws of creation, of this Earth, learn these laws and obey them if we want to survive. Obedience to the
voice of the Earth is more important for our future happiness than the desires of the moment. Our Earth is talking
to us and we must listen to it and decipher its message if we want to survive.” – Pope Benedict XVI, July 26, 2007
Vital Importance of Responding to the Ecological Destruction
“Before it is too late, we need to make courageous choices that will recreate a strong alliance between humankind
and Earth. We need a decisive ‘yes’ to care for creation and a strong commitment to reverse those trends that risk
making the situation of decay irreversible.”
– Pope Benedict XVI, September 2, 2007
Strengthen the Covenant Between Human Beings and the Environment
“Prudence does not mean failing to accept responsibilities and postponing decisions; it means being committed
to making joint decisions after pondering responsibly the road to be taken, decisions aimed at strengthening that
covenant between human beings and the environment, which should mirror the creative love of God, from whom
we come and towards whom we are journeying.” – Pope Benedict XVI, December 2007
Stewardship: It is Essential to Sense that the Earth is Our Common Home
“The family needs a home, a fit environment in which to develop its proper relationships. For the human family, this
home is the earth, the environment that God the Creator has given us to inhabit with creativity and responsibility.
We need to care for the environment: it has been entrusted to men and women to be protected and cultivated with
responsible freedom, with the good of all as a constant guiding criterion….It is essential to sense that the earth is
our common home and, in our stewardship and service to all, to choose the path of dialogue rather than the path
of unilateral decisions. Further international agencies may need to be established in order to confront together the
stewardship of this “home” of ours; more important, however, is the need for ever greater conviction about the need
for responsible cooperation. The problems looming on the horizon are complex and time is short. In order to face
this situation effectively, there is a need to act in harmony. One area where there is a particular need to intensify
dialogue between nations is that of the stewardship of the earth’s energy resources.” – Pope Benedict XVI, January
1, 2008
Creation Manifests the Divine Presence
“Make the responsibilities visible so that we may respond to this great challenge: to rediscover the face of the Creator
in creation, to rediscover in the Creator’s presence our responsibilities for his creation, which he has entrusted to us,
to form the ethical capacity for a lifestyle that we must adopt if we wish to tackle the problems of this situation (of
climate change) and if we really want to reach positive solutions.” – Pope Benedict XVI, World Youth Day, June
2008
Human Behavior Has Scarred the Earth
“Perhaps reluctantly we come to acknowledge that there are also scars which mark the surface of our earth:
erosion, deforestation, the squandering of the world’s mineral and ocean resources in order to fuel an insatiable
consumption…. My dear friends, God’s creation is one and it is good. The concerns for non-violence, sustainable
development, justice and peace, and care for our environment are of vital importance for humanity” – Pope Benedict
XVI, World Youth Day, July 17, 2008
Creation and Redemption are Closely Bound Together
“God entrusted man with the responsibility of creation….Creation and redemption are closely bound together.”
– Pope Benedict XVI, August 2008
Climate Change Linked With Other Threats to Life and Dignity
“At a time of world food shortage, of financial turmoil, of old and new forms of poverty, of disturbing climate
change, of violence and deprivation which force many to leave their homelands in search of a less precarious form
of existence, of the ever-present threat of terrorism, of growing fears over the future, it is urgent to rediscover
grounds for hope. Let no one draw back from this peaceful battle that has been launched by Christ’s Resurrection.
For as I said earlier, Christ is looking for men and women who will help him to affirm his victory using his own
weapons: the weapons of justice and truth, mercy, forgiveness and love.” – Pope Benedict XVI, Urbi et Orbi, April,
12, 2009
Consumerism Threatens the Environment
“The brutal consumption of creation begins where God is not, where matter is henceforth only material for us, where
we ourselves are the ultimate demand, where the whole is merely our property and we consume it for ourselves
alone…I think, therefore, that true and effective initiatives to prevent the waste and destruction of creation can be
implemented and developed, understood and lived, only where creation is considered as beginning with God.”
– Pope Benedict XVI, August 2008
“Do not be fooled by those who see you as just another consumer in a market of undifferentiated possibilities, where
choice itself becomes the good, novelty usurps beauty, and subjective experience displaces truth.” – Pope Benedict
XVI, June 2008
Environmental Justice
“Today the great gift of God’s creation is exposed to serious dangers and lifestyles which can degrade it. Environmental
pollution is making particularly unsustainable the lives of the poor of the world … we must pledge ourselves to take
care of creation and to share its resources in solidarity.” – Pope Benedict XVI, August 27, 2006
Care for the Environment – an Intergenerational Responsibility
“The environment is God’s gift to everyone, and in our use of it we have a responsibility towards the poor, towards
future generations and towards humanity as a whole. We must recognize our grave duty to hand the earth on to
future generations in such a condition that they too can worthily inhabit it and continue to cultivate it.” – Pope
Benedict XVI, Caritas in Veritate, June 2009
A Message to Global Leaders about the “Urgent Need” to Care for the Environment
“The various phenomena of environmental degradation and natural disasters which, unfortunately, are often reported
in the news remind us of the urgent need to respect nature as we should, recovering and appreciating a correct
relationship with the environment in every day life…. The protection of the environment, and the safeguarding
of resources and of the climate, oblige all international leaders to act jointly respecting the law and promoting
solidarity with the weakest regions of the world. Together we can build an integral human development beneficial
for all peoples, present and future, a development inspired by the values of charity in truth. For this to happen it is
essential that the current model of global development be transformed through a greater, and shared, acceptance of
responsibility for creation: this is demanded not only by environmental factors, but also by the scandal of hunger
and human misery.” – Pope Benedict XVI, August 2009
If You Want to Cultivate Peace, Protect Creation
Pope Benedict’s 2010 World Day of Peace message focused entirely on caring for the environment: If You Want to Cultivate
Peace, Protect Creation. Here are some excerpts from this landmark statement, calling upon Christians and all people of
good will to take concerted action to care for the environment and adopt more sober lifestyles.
l By Misunderstanding “Dominion Over the Earth,” Humans Became Destructive
“Human beings let themselves be mastered by selfishness; they misunderstood the meaning of God’s command
and exploited creation out of a desire to exercise absolute domination over it. But the true meaning of God’s
original command, as the Book of Genesis clearly shows, was not a simple conferral of authority, but rather a
summons to responsibility…. Man thus has a duty to exercise responsible stewardship over creation, to care for
it and to cultivate it.”
l Irresponsible Stewardship of Creation Has Caused Hardships
“Sad to say, it is all too evident that large numbers of people in different countries and areas of our planet are
experiencing increased hardship because of the negligence or refusal of many others to exercise responsible
stewardship over the environment.”
l An Intergenerational Responsibility
“Natural resources should be used in such a way that immediate benefits do not have a negative impact on living
creatures, human and not, present and future; that the protection of private property does not conflict with the
universal destination of goods; that human activity does not compromise the fruitfulness of the earth, for the
benefit of people now and in the future.”
l A Moral Responsibility to Reduce Energy Consumption and Improve Efficiency
“To be sure, among the basic problems which the international community has to address is that of energy
resources and the development of joint and sustainable strategies to satisfy the energy needs of the present and
future generations. This means that technologically advanced societies must be prepared to encourage more
sober lifestyles, while reducing their energy consumption and improving its efficiency.”
l A Moral Responsibility to Move Beyond the Consumerist Mentality
“There is a need, in effect, to move beyond a purely consumerist mentality in order to promote forms of
agricultural and industrial production capable of respecting creation and satisfying the primary needs of all. The
ecological problem must be dealt with not only because of the chilling prospects of environmental degradation
on the horizon; the real motivation must be the quest for authentic world-wide solidarity inspired by the values
of charity, justice and the common good.”
l A Change in Outlook and New Life-Styles are Required
“It is becoming more and more evident that the issue of environmental degradation challenges us to examine
our life-style and the prevailing models of consumption and production, which are often unsustainable from a
social, environmental and even economic point of view. We can no longer do without a real change of outlook
which will result in new life-styles.”
l The Church Has a Responsibility Toward Creation
“The Church has a responsibility towards creation, and she considers it her duty to exercise that responsibility
in public life, in order to protect earth, water and air as gifts of God the Creator meant for everyone, and above
all to save mankind from the danger of self-destruction.”
l If You Want to Cultivate Peace, Protect Creation
“Protecting the natural environment in order to build a world of peace is thus a duty incumbent upon each and
all. It is an urgent challenge, one to be faced with renewed and concerted commitment; it is also a providential
opportunity to hand down to coming generations the prospect of a better future for all. May this be clear to world
leaders and to those at every level who are concerned for the future of humanity: the protection of creation and
peacemaking are profoundly linked!”
Evolution
“There is much scientific proof in favor of evolution, which appears as a reality that we must see and which enriches
our understanding of life and being as such.” – Pope Benedict XVI, July 26, 2007
“Some new findings lead us toward the recognition of evolution as more than just a hypothesis. In fact it is remarkable
that this theory has had progressively greater influence on the spirit of researchers, following a series of discoveries
in different scholarly disciplines. The convergence in the results of these independent studies – which was neither
planned nor sought – constitutes in itself a significant argument in favor of the theory.” – Pope John Paul II, 1996
message to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences
Vatican Solar Panels
• 2008 – The roof of the papal audience auditorium was covered with 2,400 solar panels to produce energy for the
Vatican, cutting carbon-dioxide emissions by the Vatican by about 225 tons.
• April 16, 2009 – The Vatican announced that it will build the biggest solar plant in Europe, harnessing sunlight on
a grand scale to help curb global warming. “Now is the time to strike,” said Cardinal Giovanni Lajolo, the Vatican
City’s governor. “One should take advantage of the crisis to try and develop these renewable-energy sources to the
maximum, which in the long run will reap incomparable rewards.”
A New List of Social Sins Includes Polluting the Environment
In March 2008 the Vatican published a list of “new social sins.” They are:
1. Bioethical violations such as birth control
2. Morally dubious experiments such as stem cell research
3. Drug abuse
4. Polluting the environment
5. Contributing to widening divide between rich and poor
6. Excessive wealth
7. Creating poverty
Bishop Gianfranco Girotti, head of the Apostolic Penitentiary, remarked: “You offend God not only by stealing,
taking the Lord’s name in vain or coveting your neighbor’s wife but also by wrecking the environment.”
Catechism of the Catholic Church
“Man’s dominion over inanimate and other living beings granted by the Creator is not absolute; it is limited by
concern for the quality of life of his neighbor, including generations to come; it requires a religious respect for the
integrity of creation.” – Catechism of the Catholic Church, #2415
“Created in God’s image and called to know and love him, the person who seeks God discovers certain ways of
coming to know him. These are also called proofs for the existence of God, not in the sense of proofs in the natural
sciences, but rather in the sense of ‘converging and convincing arguments,’ which allow us to attain certainty about
the truth. These ways of approaching God from creation have a twofold point of departure: the physical world and
the human person.” – Catechism of the Catholic Church, #31
U. S. Catholic Bishop’s Statements Encourage Care for Creation
“Grateful for the gift of creation... we invite Catholics and men and women of good will in every walk of life to
consider with us the moral issues raised by the environmental crisis... These are matters of powerful urgency and
major consequence. They constitute an exceptional call to conversion. As individuals, as institutions, as a people,
we need a change of heart to preserve and protect the planet for our children and for generations yet unborn.”
– Renewing the Earth, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, 1992
The Earth is God’s Awesome Cathedral
“To live in these mountains and forests, and with their trees and plants and animals, is truly to dwell in Earth’s
community of life, as one of God’s awesome cathedrals. In this magnificent work of God’s creation, misty mountain
haze is holy incense, tall tree trunks are temple pillars, sun-splashed leaves are stained glass, and song-birds are
angelic choirs.” – At Home in the Web of Life: A Pastoral Message on Sustainable Communities in Appalachia,
Catholic Bishops of Appalachia, 1995
Why Does the Church Care About Global Climate Change?
“At its core, global climate change is not about economic theory or political platforms, nor about partisan advantage
or interest group pressures. It is about the future of God’s creation and the one human family. It is about protecting
both ‘the human environment’ and the natural environment.” – Global Climate Change: A Plea for Dialogue,
Prudence and the Common Good, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2001
“As people of Faith, we are convinced that ‘the earth is the Lord’s and all it holds’….We believe our response to
global climate change should be a sign of our respect for God’s creation.” – Global Climate Change: A Plea for
Dialogue, Prudence and the Common Good, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2001