Environment Archives

Some U.S. experts think Pope, Patriarch may want Trump’s attention

U.S. Catholic climate leaders say that Pope Francis and Patriarch Bartholomew’s joint statement on the environment are a veiled criticism at the Trump administration’s withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement. The document, they argue, offers both pastoral and practical wisdom for Christian communities to work together for a greater care of creation.

Turkson: Pro-life cause and concern for environment are ‘inseparable’

Interviews

September 1, 2017

As Pope Francis and Patriarch Bartholomew release a joint statement on the care of creation, Cardinal Peter Turkson of Ghana, the pope’s right-hand man on environmental issues, insists that fighting abortion and fighting climate change are two sides of the same coin – they’re both, he says, about defending and promoting the dignity of human life.

Pope, Patriarch: ‘Cry of the earth’ and cry of the poor are one voice

Vatican

September 1, 2017

Pope Francis and Patriarch Bartholomew released a joint statement to mark the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation on Sept. 1. They both say that they’re convinced there’s no sincere and enduring solution to the ongoing ecological crisis unless “the response is concerted and collective, unless the responsibility is shared and accountable, unless we give priority to solidarity and service.”

Church leaders oppose Bolivian law stripping protection for native lands
- Catholic News Service, Global Church
- August 18, 2017
In a statement August 11, the Pan-Amazonian Church Network expressed its “deep concern and indignation” about a new law that strips protection from a national park and indigenous territory, and said it would mean “the gradual destruction of vital natural reserves.” The network said the new law “could represent the ethnocide of the Chiman people … and cause the eventual disappearance of the vital cultural customs” of the indigenous people living in the area.
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President of Canadian bishops calls for action against mining industry
- Global Church
- August 11, 2017
Bishop Douglas Crosby, president of the country’s bishops’ conference, says Canadians “cannot remain indifferent to the cry of the poor or to the repercussions of environmental degradation on our common home” due to the activities of the nation’s mining industry in Latin America, and has called on the Canadian government to launch an investigation of complaints.
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Journey to Antarctica confirms the wisdom of ‘Laudato Si”
- Commentary
- June 21, 2017
In the same way that ‘Laudato Si’’ serves as a rallying cry for humanity to work together to combat environmental destruction, the very existence of Antarctica is representative of that vision. The fact that an entire continent—one that is almost twice the size of Australia—exists as a place of international cooperation should serve as a model for global conduct.
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