VATICAN – Pope Francis said that when he was on the Greek island of Lesbos, "while enchanted by the scenery of the blue sky and sea, I was struck by the thought that such a beautiful sea had become a tomb for men, women and children who had for the most part sought only to escape inhumane conditions in their own homelands."

As Indigenous people on the west coast launch another court challenge to the pipeline that would deliver Alberta’s bitumen to markets in Asia, religious orders and ecumenical organizations are adding their voice to an increasingly heated debate by signing onto an open letter calling for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to reverse his approval for the expanded Trans-Mountain pipeline.

When I was 10 years old, I’d spend hours creating posters that screamed out in bold letters: “Save the Whales!” 

Conscience of a Nation: Jesuits in English Canada (1842-2016), Jesuit History Series vol. 3., edited by Jacques Monet, S.J. (Novalis, softcover, 224 pages, $34.95)

As the first signs of spring began to appear in Toronto, a sprightly team of young Catholics decided to celebrate Earth Day by picking up trash at Christie Pits Park. 

WASHINGTON – Caritas Internationalis, the Catholic Church's worldwide network of humanitarian aid agencies, three German banks and more than 30 other Catholic institutions are planning to divest at least part of their financial portfolios from the fossil fuel industry.

WINDSOR, Ont. – They’re called Climate Crusaders, and they’re part of what’s being described as the largest program of its kind in North America.

VATICAN – The Vatican Gardens has branched out and added a small orchard to its hillsides, becoming a safe haven for a number of endangered native Italian fruit and nut tree species.

Jesuits have a long tradition in science and there’s a good reason for that, says Jesuit lichenologist and ecologist Fr. John McCarthy.

LIMA, Peru – Less than two months after Pope Francis spoke out about environmental destruction in the Amazon basin during a visit to Peru, bishops from Latin America and the Caribbean have issued a pastoral letter calling the region's Catholics to an "integral ecological conversion."

Perhaps the notion of the common good will soon have its day in the sun.

VATICAN – Pope Francis has chosen the theme and appointed members of the preparatory council for the Synod of Bishops for the Amazon region, which will take place in Rome in October 2019.

Come Christmas morning in churches around the world, Christians are told once again that “In the beginning was the Word.”

VATICAN CITY - During Holy Week and in the Easter season, the Vatican will take part in several initiatives highlighting the importance of ecology and the care for creation.

MISSISSAUGA, Ont. - John Kostoff sees Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si’: on Care for Our Common Home as a calling for Catholic educators to foster a sense of environmental responsibility rooted in religion.

“This is really a challenge that Pope Francis is presenting,” said Kostoff, director of education for the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board.