Care for Creation by Pope Francis

Book cover courtesy of Amazon.com

Care for Creation: A Call for Ecological Conversation is a collection of Pope Francis’s writings and words which give background to the direction of Laudato Si’. Grouped into ten chapters, this book offers a very accessible introduction to the Pope’s understanding of the call of the church to creation care.

He frames the current struggle as one guided by a lust for money’s idol and the globalization of indifference. He calls each reader to action, not blaming them for the global issues of poverty and climate change, but implicating them as necessary actors in the solutions. He recognizes the ecological crisis as related to the inner crisis of belief and identity experienced globally. Pope Francis argues that we all must become part of the solution, taking faith-inspired action to care for our world and those in it. Far from arguing that only the church or individuals can create lasting change, he believes that there must also be systematic change in the government and economic structures which govern our world.

For those who are intimidated by Laudato Si’ or are looking for more of Pope Francis’ reflections on creation care and ecology, this book in short sections frames the call to care for the world and those who live in it.

This book can be found on Amazon, major book retailers, and your favorite independent bookstore.

“Pope Tells Oil Executives to Act on Climate: ‘There Is No Time to Lose’”

Image courtesy of NYT and CreditMaurizio Brambatti/EPA, via Shutterstock

Pope Francis continued his efforts to uplift climate change as a focus of global Catholic action with a conference of oil company executives at the Vatican in early June 2018. The pope, who has called for a swift energy transition away from fossil fuels and to more renewable energy sources, praised progress made by big oil companies while pushing for even further change.

In his statements on climate change, Pope Francis argues for our present duty to care for the gift of the earth for ourselves as well as future generations. He also recognizes that the poor will be disproportionately affected by global warming.

The Global Catholic Climate Movement has followed the pope’s directive and removed funding from organizations which support fossil fuel. Catholic universities, like Notre Dame, are working on plans to remove fossil fuels from their own energy production.

For more on Global Catholic Climate Movement click here. To be directed to the article originally published on the New York Times click here.

Live Laudato Si’

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Live Laudato Si’ is a resource created by the Global Catholic Climate Movement. Its’ purpose is to raise awareness of the encyclical’s message and to encourage the Catholic community to take action with the urgency required by the climate crisis. The website offers resources to assist Catholics in living out the message in their congregations and day to day life. To view the website, click here.

Pope Francis Criticizes Climate Change Deniers

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In reaction to hurricane and tropical storm season devastation’s, the Pope recently criticized those who doubt climate science, and suggested that they “go ask the scientists….They are most clear…Then let the person decide, and history will judge the decisions.”  In response to a question about why governments have been so slow to respond to climate change, Francis replied: “There’s a phrase in the Old Testament, I think in one of the psalms, where it says man is stupid; he’s stubborn and does not see.”

Click below for some coverage of the Pope’s comments:

Catholic Times Article on World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation

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A New Work of Mercy: Care for our Common Home is an article from The Catholic Times, a journal of catholic life in Ohio. Written by Julie Laudick, it discusses Pope Francis introducing World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation and some of the reasoning behind it. The complete article can be found here on page 4.

 

Feast of St. Francis

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In honor of the Feast of St. Francis, October 4th, Catholic Climate Covenant produces a free program to assist faith communities in better care for creation. The 2017 theme is “Befriend the Wolf: Blessing All God’s Creation.” It is a 90 minute education program. To download this resource, click here.

WATERSHED: Replenishing Water Values for a Thirsty World

Picture courtesy of worldwatervalues.org

On Wednesday, 22 March – World Water Day 2017 – Pope Francis will begin a global conversation in efforts to shift how the world values and understands water. WATERSHED will be launched on World Water Day as the first in a series of programs and activities planned for the next five years. WATERSHED will consist of four main events: a global social media conversation among the public that encourages them to share compelling stories about water values by using  #MyWaterStory, a public participation in a live broadcast of the events and activities, an expert workshop that brings together different perspectives and objectives concerning water issues, and a virtual reality experience inside “The Miracle Molecule” which is a model of an H2O molecule that brings water risks to life. To learn more about this event, click here.

Cal DeWitt on Laudato Si’

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Earth Stewardship and Laudato Si is an article written by Cal DeWitt, a professor of Environmental Studies at the University of Wisconsin- Madison. His article was first presented at a session on religion and ecology at a meeting of the Ecological Society of America. It was then published in the Quarterly Review of Biology and has been one of the top five most read articles in the past five months. Dewitt discusses his response on the Pope’s encyclical Laudato Si pulling from his scientific background in environmental studies and scriptures from the Bible. To read the full article click here.

Engaged Organizations: Catholic Rural Life

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catholicrurallife.org

Catholic Rural Life is a national, Catholic nonprofit organization dedicated to the importance of rural America. Their mission is to apply the teachings of Jesus Christ for the social, economic, and spiritual development of rural America while strengthening and sustaining the Church. They advance their mission through three distinct areas of impact: ethical food and agriculture, rural outreach and ministry, and stewardship of creation. To learn more about their mission and these specific initiatives, click here.

Pope Francis on the Dakota Access Pipeline

Pope Francis has released a statement on the issue of developing land that is spiritually significant to native people. There have been many incidents in recent years where land was taken from natives in order to further economic development of a country at the cost of the rights of native people in regards to practicing their religion. Although it was never officially stated, this statement was in regards to the approved completion of the Dakota Access Pipeline, which will interfere with sacred land of different Native American tribes. To read the full article, follow either this link or this link.

Image result for pope francis on the DAPL

Photo Credit: http://www.americanow.com/story/religion/2017/02/15/pope-appears-back-native-tribes-dapl-conflict