Bishop Kevin Farrell

The Chief Shepherd of the Catholic Diocese of Dallas

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The two-ton gorilla that is the ecology crisis

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The two-ton gorilla that is the ecology crisis

As politicians and other wannabes pussyfoot around the two-ton gorilla that is the ecology crisis for fear of losing the financial support of the polluters, religious leaders of many faiths are playing a prophetic role in naming the gorilla and calling out those who created it.

In earlier blogs I have written of the partnership between Pope Francis and Bartholomew, the Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch that has resulted in the Pope endorsing and adopting the Orthodox observance of a World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, which will be celebrated for the first time on September 1, 2015. Other religious leaders, less impeded by political correctness, are also raising their voices.

Indeed, a world-wide chorus of concern that our planet is on the threshold of a catastrophic climate change has arisen among leaders of world religious bodies, Christian and non-Christian. On Tuesday Muslim leaders issued an Islamic Declaration on Global Climate Change, which observed that, “Our species, though selected to be a caretaker or steward of the earth, has been the cause of such corruption and devastation on it that we are in danger of ending life as we know it on our planet.”

Noting “serious flaws in the way we have used natural resources,” the document states “In the brief period since the Industrial Revolution, humans have consumed much of the non-renewable resources which have taken the earth 250 million years to produce – all in the name of economic development and human progress.” Participants in the International Islamic Climate Change Symposium, which produced the declaration, called upon “corporations, finance, and the business sector to – shoulder the consequences of their profit-making activities, and take a more visibly active role in reducing their carbon footprint and other forms of impact upon the natural environment.”

Earlier this year, in anticipation of the publication of the Holy Father’s encyclical Laudato Si’, a group of 403 rabbis signed a Rabbinic Letter on the Climate Crisis which noted, “Although we accept scientific accounts of earth’s history, we continue to see it as God’s creation, and we celebrate the presence of the divine hand in every earthly creature. Yet in our generation, this wonder and this beauty have been desecrated — not in one land alone but ‘round all the Earth.”

The rabbis point out that, “The worsening inequality of wealth, income, and political power has two direct impacts on the climate crisis. On the one hand, great Carbon Corporations not only make their enormous profits from wounding the Earth, but then use these profits to purchase elections and to fund fake science to prevent the public from acting to heal the wounds. On the other hand, the poor in America and around the globe are the first and the worst to suffer from the typhoons, floods, droughts, and diseases brought on by climate chaos.”

In May, A Buddhist Declaration on Climate Change was published stating that, “Today we live in a time of great crisis, confronted by the gravest challenge that humanity has ever faced: the ecological consequences of our own collective karma. The scientific consensus is overwhelming: human activity is triggering environmental breakdown on a planetary scale.”

Calling for significant changes in the structure of economic systems, the Buddhist declaration points out that, “Global warming is intimately related to the gargantuan quantities of energy that our industries devour to provide the levels of consumption that many of us have learned to expect. From a Buddhist perspective, a sane and sustainable economy would be governed by the principle of sufficiency: the key to happiness is contentment rather than an ever-increasing abundance of goods.”

Prophets are never popular because they dare to speak the truth.

Such dire warnings from across the religious spectrum echo the words of Pope Francis in Laudato Si’, the earth “now cries out to us because of the harm we have inflicted on her by our irresponsible use and abuse of the goods with which God has endowed her. We have come to see ourselves as her lords and masters, entitled to plunder her at will. The violence present in our hearts, wounded by sin, is also reflected in the symptoms of sickness evident in the soil, in the water, in the air and in all forms of life. This is why the earth herself, burdened and laid waste, is among the most abandoned and maltreated of our poor; she ‘groans in travail’” (Rom 8:22).

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Image Credit: Tammy Lo on Flickr

Pope Francis is reiterating a long tradition in Laudato Si’

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It is always surprising to hear someone speak of Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si’ as if it were a radical new teaching. It always tells me that the speaker has not read the encyclical, for the Holy Father goes to great lengths to root his encyclical in the teaching of his predecessors, in the tradition of other Christian bodies and on the history of the Church.

Early on he recalls the writings of his patron St. Francis of Assisi, and his belief that “Saint Francis is the example par excellence of care for the vulnerable and of an integral ecology lived out joyfully and authentically,” (LS10) and in his opening chapter quotes from his beautiful Canticle of the Creatures: “Praise be to you, my Lord, through our Sister, Mother Earth, who sustains and governs us, and who produces various fruit with colored flowers and herbs” aided, the Pope goes on to say, “This sister now cries out to us because of the harm we have inflicted on her by our irresponsible use and abuse of the goods with which God has endowed her. We have come to see ourselves as her lords and masters, entitled to plunder her at will.” (LS 2)

Then addressing his encyclical to “All Persons Living on the Planet” Pope Francis recalls that Blessed Pope Paul VI referred to the ecological concern as “a tragic consequence” of unchecked human activity: “Due to an ill-considered exploitation of nature, humanity runs the risk of destroying it and becoming in turn a victim of this degradation”.(Octagesimo Adveniens)

He then reminds us that “Saint John Paul II became increasingly concerned about this issue. In his first Encyclical, he warned that human beings frequently seem ‘to see no other meaning in their natural environment than what serves for immediate use and consumption’.(Redemptor Homines) Subsequently, he would call for a global ecological conversion.” (Catechesis – 17 Jan 2001)

Continuing in tracing the consistency of Church teaching, the Holy Father recalled that his “predecessor Benedict XVI likewise proposed ‘eliminating the structural causes of the dysfunctions of the world economy and correcting models of growth which have proved incapable of ensuring respect for the environment.'” ( Address to the Diplomatic Corps – 8 Jan 2007)

Then, after stating that “These statements of the Popes echo the reflections of numerous scientists, philosophers, theologians and civic groups, all of which have enriched the Church’s thinking on these questions. Outside the Catholic Church, other Churches and Christian communities –and other religions as well –have expressed deep concern and offered valuable reflections on issues which all of us find disturbing.” (LS 7)

Finally quoting his friend and confrere, Bartholomew, Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch, he writes, ““For human beings… to destroy the biological diversity of God’s creation; for human beings to degrade the integrity of the earth by causing changes in its climate, by stripping the earth of its natural forests or destroying its wetlands; for human beings to contaminate the earth’s waters, its land, its air, and its life –these are sins…to commit a crime against the natural world is a sin against ourselves and a sin against God”. (Patriarch Bartholomew’s Message for the Day of Prayer for the Protection of Creation – 1 Sep 2012).

The Pope adds that the Patriarch goes on to say that in spite of the consistent pleas to protect our common home, “’Regrettably, many efforts to seek concrete solutions to the environmental crisis have proved ineffective, not only because of powerful opposition but also because of a more general lack of interest. Obstructionist attitudes, even on the part of believers, can range from denial of the problem to indifference, nonchalant resignation or blind confidence in technical solutions. We require a new and universal solidarity. As the bishops of Southern Africa have stated: Everyone’s talents and involvement are needed to redress the damage caused by human abuse of God’s creation’”.

I hope you will join me in pausing on September 1 to join in the World Day of Prayer for Care of Creation and perhaps think of ways you can personally help to maintain and nurture this precious gift from God.

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Image Credit: Unsplash.com

Examining Laudato Si’: Agenda for a Generation

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Examining Laudato Si': Agenda for a Generation

 

Laudato Si’ is unique in many ways. It is addressed to “all people of good will” (No. 62) and Pope Francis states that “I would like to enter into dialogue with all people about our common home.” (No. 3) It is also distinguished by the fact that it is intended to provoke both dialogue and action. (No. 16)

Make no mistake about it this encyclical is not about a “quick fix.” (No. 179) Instead, it sets out an agenda for our time here on this planet, observing that the environment “is on loan to each generation, which must then hand it on to the next.” (No. 159)

Setting forth a litany of major ecological problems that need to be dealt with the Pope lists: pollution, climate change, water, loss of biodiversity, decline in the quality of human life, the breakdown of society, and global inequality and comments that, “Our lack of response to these tragedies involving our brothers and sisters points to the loss of that sense of responsibility for our fellow men and women upon which all civil society is founded.” (No. 25)

“As Christians,” the Holy Father reminds us, “we are also called “to accept the world as a sacrament of communion, as a way of sharing with God and our neighbors on a global scale,” recognizing, in the words of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, that we must “look for solutions not only in technology but in a change of humanity; otherwise we would be dealing merely with symptoms.” That will require “replacing consumption with sacrifice, greed with generosity, wastefulness with a spirit of sharing.” (No. 9)

What the Pope is calling for is nothing less than a change in worldview, a monumental task that must begin with each of us who shares in spoiling our common home. We must acknowledge the seriousness of the situation and accept our share of the blame. The structural causes of ecological disintegration must be acknowledged and addressed collaboratively on a global basis. Unfortunately, as Pope Francis observes, “Politics and the economy tend to blame each other when it comes to poverty and environmental degradation. It is to be hoped that they can acknowledge their own mistakes and find forms of interaction directed to the common good. (No. 198)

“There is no one path to a solution.” (No. 60) There is no magic bullet. Through prayer and dialogue we must collectively work toward a comprehensive solution to save our God’s creation, our common home.

Laudato Si’ is not a doomsday proclamation but it sets out an agenda for a generation. As the Holy Father writes in his closing prayer: “May our struggles and our concern for this planet never take away the joy of our hope.” (No. 244)

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Image credit: Stephanie Sicore on Flickr

Examining Laudato Si’: Poor treated as “collateral damage”

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Poverty and the condition of the poor and excluded are inexorably connected to the ecological crisis and Pope Francis says must be included in the “dialogue about how we are shaping the future of our planet.” (Laudato Si, No. 14) Pope Francis speaks of “the intimate relationship between the poor and the fragility of the planet, the conviction that everything in the world is connected.” (No. 16)

Because they tend to be on the periphery, they are easily and frequently ignored, as the Holy Father points out

It needs to be said that, generally speaking, there is little in the way of clear awareness of problems which especially affect the excluded. Yet they are the majority of the planet’s population, billions of people. These days, they are mentioned in international political and economic discussions, but one often has the impression that their problems are brought up as an afterthought, a question which gets added almost out of duty or in a tangential way, if not treated merely as collateral damage. Indeed, when all is said and done, they frequently remain at the bottom of the pile. (No. 49)

Part of the reason for this is the fact that those in power have little or no contact with the poor and the marginalized — a reality that the Pope points out. “… Many professionals, opinion makers, communications media and centers of power, being located in affluent urban areas, are far removed from the poor, with little direct contact with their problems. They live and reason from the comfortable position of a high level of development and a quality of life well beyond the reach of the majority of the world’s population.” (No. 49)

For many the solution to poverty is “a reduction in the birth rate.” To which the Pope responds, “To blame population growth instead of extreme and selective consumerism on the part of some, is one way of refusing to face the issues. It is an attempt to legitimize the present model of distribution, where a minority believes that it has the right to consume in a way which can never be universalized, since the planet could not even contain the waste products of such consumption.”(No. 50)

But the ecological burden of the poor has a direct effect upon the entire community. For example, the migration crisis in Europe and the Americas is partially the result of “migrants seeking to flee from the growing poverty caused by environmental degradation.” Another major problem faced by many poor is the lack of potable water. Pope Francis’ encyclical points out that “Every day, unsafe water results in many deaths and the spread of water-related diseases, including those caused by microorganisms and chemical substances. Dysentery and cholera, linked to inadequate hygiene and water supplies, are a significant cause of suffering and of infant mortality.” (No. 29)

Quoting the U.S. bishops, Pope Francis calls for greater attention to be given to “the needs of the poor, the weak and the vulnerable, in a debate often dominated by more powerful interests. ” He then adds, “We need to strengthen the conviction that we are one single human family. There are no frontiers or barriers, political or social, behind which we can hide, still less is there room for the globalization of indifference.” (No. 52)

Examining Laudato Si’: The Common Good

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Examining Laudato Si': The Common Good

As I promised, I will devote several blogs to Pope Francis’ recent papal encyclical, Laudato Si’. It is difficult to know where the to begin, but a good place seems to be with the concept of the common good, which the Holy Father refers to more than 30 times in his encyclical.

Pope Francis uses the traditional Catholic definition of the common good: “the sum of those conditions of social life which allow social groups and their individual members relatively thorough and ready access to their own fulfillment,” (No. 156) elaborating on how we should understand what that means in today’s world.

Underlying the principle of the common good is respect for the human person as such, endowed with basic and inalienable rights … It also has to do with the overall welfare of society and the development of a variety of intermediate groups … [especially] the family, as the basic cell of society. (No. 157)

Thus, the common good is centered on the respect and dignity due each human being and their right to develop and flourish. But the common good goes beyond the individual to embrace the whole of society.

Recognizing that society is dynamic and subject to disruptions due to inequities and disequilibrium, the Holy Father cautions that “the common good calls for social peace, the stability and security provided by a certain order which cannot be achieved without particular concern for distributive justice; whenever this is violated, violence always ensues. Society as a whole and the state in particular, are obliged to defend and promote the common good.” (No. 157)

Reality is a far cry from the ideal and the Pope paints a vivid picture of today’s world:

In the present condition of global society, where injustices abound and growing numbers of people are deprived of basic human rights and considered expendable, the principle of the common good immediately becomes, logically and inevitably, a summons to solidarity and a preferential option for the poorest of our brothers and sisters. (No. 158)

We cannot however, think only of ourselves and our contemporary situation; we must be aware of our debt to the future. Pope Francis reminds us that, “The notion of the  common good also extends to future generations. The global economic crises have made painfully obvious the detrimental effects of disregarding our common destiny, which cannot exclude those who come after us. We can no longer speak of sustainable development apart from intergenerational solidarity. Once we start to think about the kind of world we are leaving to future generations, we look at things differently; we realize that the world is a gift which we have freely received and must share with others.” (No. 159)

Thus the Holy Father outlines the basis for the ethical and spiritual roots of environmental problems, which will require solutions not only in technology but in a change of humanity; otherwise we would be dealing merely with symptoms.

We will examine those environmental problems and the Pope’s proposed solutions in future blogs.

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Image credit: Sreyena, right, and her sister Salim stand in front of their house near the dump, where they scavenged for metal, plastic, glass and anything else they could sell to a recycler to make money. Each child would make about $10 a month at the dump to help out their families. They had no electricity or water. (Courtesy  of anewdaycambodia.org)

Laudato Si’: Pope Francis calls for “global ecological conversion”

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Laudato Si’: Pope Francis calls for "Global ecological conversion"

Pope Francis’ long awaited and much heralded pastoral encyclical, Laudato Si’ was released this morning calling for “global ecological conversion” based on limiting the use of non-renewable resources and re-use and recycling of materials to preserve resources for present and future generations.

While it is a pastoral and not a political document, it nevertheless calls for dialogue on the issues with which it deals; climate change, pollution and the need for a radical change in our relationship with our planet Earth. It is sure to trigger a spirited international response.

Taking its name Laudato Si’ (Praise be to You) from the invocation of St. Francis of Assisi’s Canticle of Creation, the encyclical, like the canticle, emphasizes that “creation can only be understood as a gift from the outstretched hand of the Father of all, and as a reality illuminated by the love which calls us together into universal communion.” (No. 76)

Referring to the Canticle’s reference to “our Sister, Mother Earth,” the beginning of the encyclical reminds the readers that, “This sister now cries out to us because of the harm we have inflicted on her by our irresponsible use and abuse of the goods with which God has endowed her. We have come to see ourselves as her lords and masters, entitled to plunder her at will. The violence present in our hearts, wounded by sin, is also reflected in the symptoms of sickness evident in the soil, in the water, in the air and in all forms of life.” (No. 2)

Identifying climate change as “one of the principal problems facing humanity in our day,” the document predicts, “Its worst impact will probably be felt by developing countries in coming decades,” and will be particularly devastating to the poor whose living is often solely dependent upon “natural reserves and ecosystemic services such as agriculture, fishing and forestry.”(No. 25)

Pollution of air, water and the environment caused by hundreds of tons of waste generated through the years, much of it non-biodegradable, has, according to the encyclical, caused the earth “to look more and more like an immense pile of filth.”(No. 21) The problem is, “closely linked to a throwaway culture which affects the excluded just as it quickly reduces things to rubbish.”

Laudato Si’ is really an examination of conscience and asks of each of us: “What kind of world do we want to leave to those who come after us, to children who are now growing up?” (No. 160)

In my opinion the importance of this encyclical as Christian teaching and as a wake up call to the reality of an impending ecological catastrophe cannot be overstated. I plan to devote a number of future blogs to Laudato Si’ and the significance of this important papal encyclical.

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Why an encyclical on ecology?

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Much has been written and broadcast by the media concerning Pope Francis’ upcoming encyclical on ecology (Laudato Si – Blessed are You). Since there are likely to be many spins on the document by various individuals and groups, I think it is important to present some points to help Catholics and others keep the encyclical in perspective.

Pope Francis is speaking as a pastor addressing a moral issue, restating a long held Catholic teaching on care for God’s creation and how it affects the health and very lives of people, particularly the poor and vulnerable. The encyclical is a pastoral document not a political statement.

Issues concerning ecology are both immediate and long term. The quality of life of millions of people is already being diminished as the result of the present state of the world’s ecology. Future generations will suffer even more if the situation is not addressed promptly.

“Creation is not a property, which we can rule over at will,” the Holy Father told a General Audience in May, “or, even less, is it the property of only a few. Creation is a gift. It is a wonderful gift that God has given us so that we care for it and we use it for the benefit of all, always with great respect and gratitude.”

It is the obligation of the Church to speak prophetically to the halls of power when it perceives an imminent threat to ecology and its impact on countless numbers of people. That is the purpose of the upcoming encyclical of Pope Francis.

“Whoever has ears, ought to hear.” (Matt. 11:15)

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