CATHOLICISM & THE ENVIRONMENTThe environment has long been a poor stepchild within Christian theology, and the Catholic Church is no exception. This collection compiles many of Commonweal's stories on Catholicism and the environment.
FRANCIS' ENCYCLICAL, AN URGENT CALLIn what has already been the most debated papal encyclical letter in recent memory, Francis urgently calls on the entire world's population to act, lest we leave to coming generations a planet of 'debris, desolation and filth.'
FRANCIS' ENCYCLICAL; WHY THE FUSS?Several of Francis’ predecessors blamed fossil fuels for global warming, accused energy companies of hoarding resources, and urged the rich to consume less. So what’s the big deal this time?
HOW COLLEGE CAMPUSES ARE GOING 'GREEN'At many Catholic colleges, an environmental revolution is under way: Out with the ubiquitous plastic water bottles, the reams of wasted paper, the showers that use a flood of water! In with being eco-friendly!
I'LL STICK WITH POPE FRANCISAnd while — as Pope Francis notes — the climate is a common good, belonging to all and meant for all, Americans have the largest carbon footprint in the world.
THE POPE, THE SAINT, AND THE CLIMATEProgressives and Conservatives alike should attend to what motivates Pope Francis here - not the usual left-right politics but a theological concern for our obligation.
THE POPE'S ECOLOGICAL VOWFrancis knows that if the consciences of ordinary Catholics can be pricked, they may begin to adjust their life choices. Climate change skeptics may well find that in Francis they have met their most formidable opponent.
WHOSE LAND?Pope Francis has called upon Catholics and all people of good will to care for our common home. But does that call to stewardship run up against American exceptionalism?
WHY IS CLIMATE CHANGE A MORAL ISSUE?Let’s consider three reasons why caring for the environment is a moral issue and why policies that fail to protect our planet are not only against Catholic teaching but are also immoral.
FOR GOD SO LOVED THE COSMOSYes, God so loved the whole blooming, buzzing, evolving, groaning cosmos that Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection connects it forever with redeeming promise.
‘WHY CALL IT PROGRESS?’On what makes Laudato si' a most remarkable, essential document for everyone: the very technocracy laying waste to the Christian legacy will also awaken Christians from their slumber.
THE ECOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF THE EUCHARISTThe Eucharist is not simply a means by which humanity receives the sacramental presence of Christ, it is the privileged place where God is now present to our world as part of that world.
WHAT WE NEED IS AN 'INTEGRAL ECONOMY'We are desperately in need of another way of thinking about how we structure "our common home," and the lens through which we order our choices and shape our policies must be shaped by an integral ecology.
DIGGING INTO LAUDATO SI'Join EarthBeat on an exploration of Laudato Si' through a social, political and spiritual lens. Three times a week, the series will dive into a new section of the papal document, leading readers through an informal study of the call to care for our common home, five years on.
OUR COMMON PLANETARY HOMEThe pandemic has shown our willingness to make sacrifices—at least to some degree—to protect our fellow humans, but we have not shown that same willingness to make even small changes to protect or heal the earth.
A CATHEDRAL NOT MADE BY HANDSEntering an old-growth forest is overwhelming. It's a living lesson on the core themes of Laudato Si'. Here we learn how very difficult it is to be attentive.
LAUDATO SI’: THE ENCYCLICAL FOR OUR TIMES The timing of the anniversary couldn’t be more fitting for those reflecting on the shape of an economic recovery from COVID-19 that tackles unemployment, rebuilds a resilient economy and addresses climate change.
WHAT IS THE SEASON OF CREATION?The Season of Creation is a monthlong prayerful observance that calls the planet's 2.2 billion Christians to pray and care for God's creation. It's a time to reflect on our relationship with the environment.
COMPASSION FOR EARTH IS VACCINE AGAINST EPIDEMIC OF INDIFFERENCEThe current pandemic, Pope Francis said, has shown that the health of men and women "cannot be separated from that of the environment in which they live." He added, "It is also clear that climate change not only upsets the balance of nature, but also causes poverty and hunger..."
BEYOND GROWTHThe scientific consensus on what must be done to avoid a climate catastrophe is nearly unanimous: a swift, planetary shift to renewable energy sources. Ecological sustainability faces real and powerful enemies, and those enemies have no incentive right now to change course.
GLOBAL CATHOLIC CLIMATE MOVEMENTGlobal Catholic Climate Movement works within the Catholic Church to better care for our common home. Their founding document is Pope Francis’ encyclical on climate change and ecology, Laudato Si’.
LET’S GO BIG FOR A BETTER WORLDOur Christian faith can be an essential aid for us as we discern, articulate, and evaluate large-scale visions and as we perform the small, local actions that contribute to large-scale change.
HOW TO CHANGE THE MORAL CLIMATEBy investing in the planet’s future, we’re aligning ourselves with God’s investment in it and in us. God so loved the world that we might love it too. Our hope is God in Christ will be with us whatever happens...
THE CONTEMPLATIVE VISION AND LAUDATO SI’Some Catholics are flippant regarding the care of creation, who criticize a focus on it because our concern should be the salvation of souls. But wouldn’t that be denying the importance of our material bodies?
THE GLOBAL COMMON GOOD In Laudato Si’, Pope Francis urges Christians to consider the long-term effects of our actions which impact the future well-being of the human species, all living things, and our planet itself. The notion of the common good also extends to future generations.
OFFICIAL LAUNCH OF LAUDATO SI' ACTION PLATFORMAll sectors of the church are invited to participate in the Laudato Si' Action Platform,a multi-year, Vatican-backed process toward sustainability in the spirit of Pope Francis' landmark encyclical on care for creation.
COP26 SHORTCOMINGS POINT TO MISSION FOR ALL CATHOLICS The outcome of COP26 raises clear justice issues for people of faith. These are matters on which Catholics must speak and act, as people of faith, as consumers and as advocates for public policies that align with Gospel values.
TALKING TRUTH TO POWER THAT EXPLOITS THE POOR The day of reckoning for the world is getting closer. A new UN climate report says that we have one last chance. It is now or never to change and get off the merry-go-round of fossil fuel-supported lifestyles of consumer spending...
ON GLOBAL WARMING, YES, THERE IS HOPEThe good news is there are ways to reduce and eliminate the growth in global warming; the bad news is I am not sure we will implement them fast enough.
THE POPE’S JOURNEY TO CLIMATE OUTRAGEThe pope writes, “I have realized that our responses have not been adequate, while the world in which we live is collapsing and may be nearing the breaking point.”
WILD FAITH – A SLOW LEARNER CARES FOR CREATIONLaudate Deum is not really a “Laudato si’ Part II”. Rather than filling out his 2015 encyclical in light of subsequent developments, the exhortation aims at one question: why has the world not listened?
CLIMATE CATASTROPHE IS HERE Swaths of US land are becoming uninsurable, even uninhabitable. What’s needed is collective action—large scale and small, public and charitable and for-profit—to mitigate this and other climate-related problems.
HOW ECOLOGICAL THINKING CAN STRENGTHEN OUR DEMOCRACYWe are challenged to transform ourselves and the systems we inhabit—to turn from self-serving and exploitative competition to collaborative mutual flourishing, rejecting power dynamics that reinforce hierarchies and thrive off exclusionary tactics, misinformation, or willful ignorance.
LAMENT AND PRAISE FOR THE EARTHA passionate prayer for what is lost and what is found. For every bit of life on Earth that I lament, I can—I must—find some way to praise.
IS THERE A CHRISTIAN WAY TO COMMIT TO ECOLOGY?Jesuit Father Xavier de Bénazé questions how Christians should engage with ecology, emphasizing their call to adopt virtuous behaviors and extend this commitment through the principles of integral ecology.
‘LAUDATE DEUM’ – ECOLOGY IN THE LIGHT OF THE GOSPELThe wonder of creation is enhanced by the Christian perspective, according to which the world is a free gift from God. Thus awareness of this free gift from God induces us to act as custodians of creation, rather than seeking to manipulate or exploit it without limit.
LAUDATO SI' AT 10: TOUCH THE EARTH RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOUIt is no wonder that the ecological crisis of our age coincides with the growing decline in religious belonging. We have forgotten that God is not to be found "out there" in some vague expanse of space, but right here in the places where we find ourselves.
INTEGRAL ECOLOGY IN AN AGE OF AIIntegral ecology supports the fundamental idea that “everything is connected” and that today’s environmental and social problems require “a vision capable of taking into account every aspect of the global crisis.”
THE EARTH GROANS, AI GROWS: WHO GUIDES THE FLAME?What kind of world is emerging through us? The answer is not one we can outsource to technology, legislation, or even traditional religious authorities. It is a question of soul, of desire, of the fire that shapes our future.
POPE LEO XIV APPROVES NEW MASS CENTERED ON CARE FOR THE ENVIRONMENT As record‑breaking heat waves scorch much of Europe — with triple‑digit temperatures, wildfires and deaths reported — the Vatican on Thursday (July 3) released a new liturgy for the Mass reflecting concern for the environment, offering prayers, readings and hymns that highlight the church’s responsibility to protect the Earth.