Expressing concern for the state of our natural environment, the Canadian Catholic bishops’ justice and peace commission released a document April 8 that outlined eight themes from recent Church teaching that can frame a Catholic position on environmental issues. The themes suggest “a Catholic approach to economic questions, social justice and environmental questions” that become interrelated when applied to the environment.
“Having an overarching vision of God’s purpose in creation and the rightful place of human beings in creation allows us to see the interconnectedness between different moral questions,” said Saskatoon Bishop Donald Bolen, a member of the commission.
That vision encompasses “serving the dignity of human life at all stages and working towards the common good” and shows how justice implications are intrinsically connected with protecting the environment, he said.
The document does not specifically address particular policy questions, but, said Bolen, it can offer “a kind of meta-reflection and give the resources to engage in that discussion.”
Bolen stressed the document is calling Catholics to do more than just “keep the discussion on the level of principles.”
“We are encouraging our communities and our faithful to engage in dialogue with governmental policies and giving them the principles from which they should do that,” he said. “It’s not shying away from party policy. It’s a call to action.”
Entitled “Building a New Culture: Central Themes in Recent Church Teaching on the Environment,” the document uses quotes from Popes Benedict XVI and John Paul II to illustrate its eight themes.
Contrary to some prevailing cultural environmentalist views that see humans as only one species among many, the document’s first principle is: “Human beings are creatures made in God’s image.” It quotes Pope Benedict who warns against the extremes of unbridled dominion over nature on one hand and, on the other, “absolutizing the environment or by considering it more important than the human person.”
The second principle stresses creation’s “intrinsic order” and natural law that can be ascertained through reason. The third principle, “ ‘Human ecology’ and its relationship to environmental ecology,” quotes Benedict’s encyclical Caritas in Veritate, where he connects respect for marriage, family and the protection of life at all stages with the safeguarding of creation.
“It’s important that the document . . . ties in with those life issues, the family and caring about structural forms of poverty and concerns about an environmental crisis all within a framework of cultural renewal,” Bolen said.
Other principles include: responsible stewardship, care for the environment as a moral issue and solidarity.
“Since environmental degradation is often related to poverty, solidarity demands that structural forms of poverty be addressed,” the bishops write. Solidarity also means care for future generations as well as for the poor.
The last two principles are creation and spirituality, and responses to current environmental problems.
“The Church does not propose or evaluate specific technical solutions to our current environmental problem. Rather, her task is to remind people of the relationship between creation, human beings and the Creator.”
However, the bishops stress the “urgent need for action,” the need for policies that protect the common good and international co-operation.
Bolen said there is “a rich resource in papal teaching which is not terribly well-known here” that can be used to guide reflection on how the People of God engage questions of the environment.
The full document is available at www.cccb.ca.