[59] PAUL RICOEUR, Philosophie de la Volonté, t. II: Finitude et Culpabilité, Paris, 2009, 216. Yet access to safe drinkable water is a basic and universal human right, since it is essential to human survival and, as such, is a condition for the exercise of other human rights. The broader objective should always be to allow them a dignified life through work. In the end, a world of exacerbated consumption is at the same time a world which mistreats life in all its forms. 81. Amen. We make every effort to adapt to our environment, but when it is disorderly, chaotic or saturated with noise and ugliness, such overstimulation makes it difficult to find ourselves integrated and happy. [110] Address to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences (3 October 1981), 3: Insegnamenti 4/2 (1981), 333. The 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro is worth mentioning. 179. [63] Catechism of the Catholic Church, 340. Gen 2:2-3; Ex 16:23; 20:10). Only pontiffs define when, and under which circumstances encyclicals should be issued. Water poured over the body of a child in Baptism is a sign of new life. Its worst impact will probably be felt by developing countries in coming decades. We know how unsustainable is the behaviour of those who constantly consume and destroy, while others are not yet able to live in a way worthy of their human dignity. For example, there is a great variety of small-scale food production systems which feed the greater part of the worldâs peoples, using a modest amount of land and producing less waste, be it in small agricultural parcels, in orchards and gardens, hunting and wild harvesting or local fishing. An invaluable study guide. [93] JOHN PAUL II, Encyclical Letter Centesimus Annus (1 May 1991), 38: AAS 83 (1991), 841. Todayâs media do enable us to communicate and to share our knowledge and affections. Hence, we can ask her to enable us to look at this world with eyes of wisdom. [66] This is not to forget that there is an infinite distance between God and the things of this world, which do not possess his fullness. 128. 188. What is needed is a politics which is far-sighted and capable of a new, integral and interdisciplinary approach to handling the different aspects of the crisis. He loved, and was deeply loved for his joy, his generous self-giving, his openheartedness. Exposure to atmospheric pollutants produces a broad spectrum of health hazards, especially for the poor, and causes millions of premature deaths. The effects of the present imbalance can only be reduced by our decisive action, here and now. Pope Francis’ new encyclical is a strong denunciation of the physical, ideological, emotional and intellectual walls and barriers that many of us set up in order to prevent meaningful encounters with “others” – and a thoughtful proposal of an antidote to break them down. 71. O God of the poor, help us to rescue the abandoned and forgotten of this earth, so precious in your eyes. Later, Saint Benedict of Norcia proposed that his monks live in community, combining prayer and spiritual reading with manual labour (ora et labora). Triune Lord, wondrous community of infinite love, teach us to contemplate you in the beauty of the universe, for all things speak of you. When we ask ourselves what kind of world we want to leave behind, we think in the first place of its general direction, its meaning and its values. Anyone who has grown up in the hills or used to sit by the spring to drink, or played outdoors in the neighbourhood square; going back to these places is a chance to recover something of their true selves. The risks involved are not always due to the techniques used, but rather to their improper or excessive application. While some are concerned only with financial gain, and others with holding on to or increasing their power, what we are left with are conflicts or spurious agreements where the last thing either party is concerned about is caring for the environment and protecting those who are most vulnerable. More precious still is the service we offer to another kind of beauty: peopleâs quality of life, their adaptation to the environment, encounter and mutual assistance. That means that apart from the ownership of property, rural people must have access to means of technical education, credit, insurance, and marketsâ. [9], 6. To seek only a technical remedy to each environmental problem which comes up is to separate what is in reality interconnected and to mask the true and deepest problems of the global system. She is the Woman, âclothed in the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve starsâ (Rev 12:1). This rediscovery of nature can never be at the cost of the freedom and responsibility of human beings who, as part of the world, have the duty to cultivate their abilities in order to protect it and develop its potential. But we should be particularly indignant at the enormous inequalities in our midst, whereby we continue to tolerate some considering themselves more worthy than others. Given in Rome at Saint Peterâs on 24 May, the Solemnity of Pentecost, in the year 2015, the third of my Pontificate. 226. The monks sought the desert, convinced that it was the best place for encountering the presence of God. These values are deeply rooted in indigenous peoples. It is my hope that this Encyclical Letter, which is now added to the body of the Churchâs social teaching, can help us to acknowledge the appeal, immensity and urgency of the challenge we face. It may well disturb us to learn of the extinction of mammals or birds, since they are more visible. But the good functioning of ecosystems also requires fungi, algae, worms, insects, reptiles and an innumerable variety of microorganisms. 172. It shall not be so among you; but whoever would be great among you must be your servantâ (Mt 20:25-26). II, lectio 14. In recent decades this warming has been accompanied by a constant rise in the sea level and, it would appear, by an increase of extreme weather events, even if a scientifically determinable cause cannot be assigned to each particular phenomenon. 158. When we can see God reflected in all that exists, our hearts are moved to praise the Lord for all his creatures and to worship him in union with them. Although we are often not aware of it, we depend on these larger systems for our own existence. Young people demand change. 76. Everything is connected. 218. [89] At the same time, we have âa sort of âsuperdevelopmentâ of a wasteful and consumerist kind which forms an unacceptable contrast with the ongoing situations of dehumanizing deprivationâ,[90] while we are all too slow in developing economic institutions and social initiatives which can give the poor regular access to basic resources. âThe Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. 125. The broader objective should always be to allow them a dignified life through work. To either a greater or lesser degree mass man is convinced that his conformity is both reasonable and justâ. A serious consideration of this issue would be one way of counteracting the throwaway culture which affects the entire planet, but it must be said that only limited progress has been made in this regard. In this warning are the seeds of the later emphasis on Bible reading among lay Catholics. 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. The rich and the poor have equal dignity, for âthe Lord is the maker of them allâ (Prov 22:2). There is a logic in all this whereby different attitudes can feed on one another, leading to environmental degradation and social decay. This inspired a movement known as distributism, so named because its adherents believe property ownership should be widely distributed, instead of concentrated in the hands of wealthy robber barons or socialist bureaucrats. PAPAL TEACHINGS ON THE FAMILY, THE ... from the papal social encyclicals. More than fifty years ago, with the world teetering on the brink of nuclear crisis, Pope Saint John XXIII wrote an Encyclical which not only rejected war but offered a proposal for peace. Because even when it is celebrated on the humble altar of a country church, the Eucharist is always in some way celebrated on the altar of the worldâ. 73. Finally, after seven weeks of years, which is to say forty-nine years, the Jubilee was celebrated as a year of general forgiveness and âliberty throughout the land for all its inhabitantsâ (cf. Sources of fresh water are necessary for health care, agriculture and industry. 186-201: AAS 105 (2013), 1098-1105. There are no uniform recipes, because each country or region has its own problems and limitations. This is not a correct interpretation of the Bible as understood by the Church. There is an interrelation between ecosystems and between the various spheres of social interaction, demonstrating yet again that âthe whole is greater than the partâ.[115]. A misguided anthropocentrism leads to a misguided lifestyle. Redemptor Hominis, John Paul II 1979: His first encyclical, Redemptor Hominis laid out John Paul II’s agenda for the rest of his papacy. If we look at the larger picture, we can see that more diversified and innovative forms of production which impact less on the environment can prove very profitable. [89] Cf. Here the burden of proof is effectively reversed, since in such cases objective and conclusive demonstrations will have to be brought forward to demonstrate that the proposed activity will not cause serious harm to the environment or to those who inhabit it. The myopia of power politics delays the inclusion of a far-sighted environmental agenda within the overall agenda of governments. [100] SECOND VATICAN ECUMENICAL COUNCIL, Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World Gaudium et Spes, 63. In this sense, we stand naked and exposed in the face of our ever-increasing power, lacking the wherewithal to control it. Helping the poor financially must always be a provisional solution in the face of pressing needs. Mense Maio. 177. The gaze of science thus benefits from faith: faith encourages the scientist to remain constantly open to reality in all its inexhaustible richness. [93], 116. Yet all is not lost. This has to do not only with manual or agricultural labour but with any activity involving a modification of existing reality, from producing a social report to the design of a technological development. It is the conviction that âless is moreâ. [112] JOHN PAUL II, Address to the 35th General Assembly of the World Medical Association (29 October 1983), 6: AAS 76 (1984), 394. For âthe current model, with its emphasis on success and self-reliance, does not appear to favour an investment in efforts to help the slow, the weak or the less talented to find opportunities in lifeâ.[139]. Even now we are journeying towards the sabbath of eternity, the new Jerusalem, towards our common home in heaven. [39] BENEDICT XVI, Homily for the Solemn Inauguration of the Petrine Ministry (24 April 2005): AAS 97 (2005), 711. [29] Still, attention needs to be paid to imbalances in population density, on both national and global levels, since a rise in consumption would lead to complex regional situations, as a result of the interplay between problems linked to environmental pollution, transport, waste treatment, loss of resources and quality of life. The Conference of the United Nations on Sustainable Development, âRio+20â (Rio de Janeiro 2012), issued a wide-ranging but ineffectual outcome document. In the eighth and final chapter, the Pontiff focuses on “Religions at the service … Man must therefore respect the particular goodness of every creature, to avoid any disordered use of thingsâ.[43]. As long as production is increased, little concern is given to whether it is at the cost of future resources or the health of the environment; as long as the clearing of a forest increases production, no one calculates the losses entailed in the desertification of the land, the harm done to biodiversity or the increased pollution. The universe as a whole, in all its manifold relationships, shows forth the inexhaustible riches of God. A science which would offer solutions to the great issues would necessarily have to take into account the data generated by other fields of knowledge, including philosophy and social ethics; but this is a difficult habit to acquire today. 118. When the foundations of social life are corroded, what ensues are battles over conflicting interests, new forms of violence and brutality, and obstacles to the growth of a genuine culture of care for the environment. If we reason only within the confines of the latter, little room would be left for aesthetic sensibility, poetry, or even reasonâs ability to grasp the ultimate meaning and purpose of things. SECOND VATICAN ECUMENICAL COUNCIL, Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World Gaudium et Spes, 36. 40. This will require undertaking a careful inventory of the species which it hosts, with a view to developing programmes and strategies of protection with particular care for safeguarding species heading towards extinction. But water continues to be wasted, not only in the developed world but also in developing countries which possess it in abundance. An integral ecology is inseparable from the notion of the common good, a central and unifying principle of social ethics. 163. 244. The global economic crises have made painfully obvious the detrimental effects of disregarding our common destiny, which cannot exclude those who come after us. [94], 117. The Church’s continued stance on this issue remains a cornerstone of faith to some, and a stumbling block to others. The problem of the real economy is not confronted with vigour, yet it is the real economy which makes diversification and improvement in production possible, helps companies to function well, and enables small and medium businesses to develop and create employment. 66. He commanded Israel to set aside each seventh day as a day of rest, a Sabbath, (cf. Many cars, used by one or more people, circulate in cities, causing traffic congestion, raising the level of pollution, and consuming enormous quantities of non-renewable energy. To the Bishops, Priests, Religious, and Faithful of the Whole Catholic World, and to All Men of Good Will. THE MESSAGE OF EACH CREATURE IN THE HARMONY OF CREATION. Or indeed when the desire to create and contemplate beauty manages to overcome reductionism through a kind of salvation which occurs in beauty and in those who behold it. This right must be guaranteed so that its exercise is not illusory but real. In this context, there is a need for common and differentiated responsibilities. Political institutions and various other social groups are also entrusted with helping to raise peopleâs awareness. The Psalms frequently exhort us to praise God the Creator, âwho spread out the earth on the waters, for his steadfast love endures for everâ (Ps 136:6). In any event, these are primarily ethical decisions, rooted in solidarity between all peoples. In this discernment, some questions must have higher priority. [40] This is a far cry from our situation today, where sin is manifest in all its destructive power in wars, the various forms of violence and abuse, the abandonment of the most vulnerable, and attacks on nature. Solidarity should be a guiding principle upon engaging specific environmental problems. 245. International and regional conventions do exist, but fragmentation and the lack of strict mechanisms of regulation, control and penalization end up undermining these efforts. Nor does it imply a divinization of the earth which would prevent us from working on it and protecting it in its fragility. Since everything is interrelated, concern for the protection of nature is also incompatible with the justification of abortion. The poverty and austerity of Saint Francis were no mere veneer of asceticism, but something much more radical: a refusal to turn reality into an object simply to be used and controlled. DIALOGUE ON THE ENVIRONMENT IN THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY. Moreover, biodiversity is considered at most a deposit of economic resources available for exploitation, with no serious thought for the real value of things, their significance for persons and cultures, or the concerns and needs of the poor. Sunday, like the Jewish Sabbath, is meant to be a day which heals our relationships with God, with ourselves, with others and with the world. Believers themselves must constantly feel challenged to live in a way consonant with their faith and not to contradict it by their actions. Without repeating the entire theology of creation, we can ask what the great biblical narratives say about the relationship of human beings with the world. You embrace with your tenderness all that exists. Never have we so hurt and mistreated our common home as we have in the last two hundred years. It is no coincidence that, in the canticle in which Saint Francis praises God for his creatures, he goes on to say: âPraised be you my Lord, through those who give pardon for your loveâ. Lack of housing is a grave problem in many parts of the world, both in rural areas and in large cities, since state budgets usually cover only a small portion of the demand. [21] Rather than a problem to be solved, the world is a joyful mystery to be contemplated with gladness and praise. [59], 86. As Saint John Paul II taught, âby enduring the toil of work in union with Christ crucified for us, man in a way collaborates with the Son of God for the redemption of humanityâ.[79]. Teach us to discover the worth of each thing, to be filled with awe and contemplation, to recognize that we are profoundly united with every creature as we journey towards your infinite light. 211. There is a nobility in the duty to care for creation through little daily actions, and it is wonderful how education can bring about real changes in lifestyle. He is a former news editor at GoLocalProv.com and was a correspondent for the New Hampshire Union Leader, where he covered the 2008 presidential primary. If we can overcome individualism, we will truly be able to develop a different lifestyle and bring about significant changes in society. Our goal is not to amass information or to satisfy curiosity, but rather to become painfully aware, to dare to turn what is happening to the world into our own personal suffering and thus to discover what each of us can do about it. 90. BONAVENTURE, The Major Legend of Saint Francis, VIII, 1, in Francis of Assisi: Early Documents, vol. The loss of forests and woodlands entails the loss of species which may constitute extremely important resources in the future, not only for food but also for curing disease and other uses. But if these issues are courageously faced, we are led inexorably to ask other pointed questions: What is the purpose of our life in this world? There is also the fact that people no longer seem to believe in a happy future; they no longer have blind trust in a better tomorrow based on the present state of the world and our technical abilities. In this way, they make their own that trinitarian dynamism which God imprinted in them when they were created. 50. 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