From The Guardian, 4/27/07:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/religion/Story/0,,2066711,00.html?gusrc=rss&feed=12
Protect God's creation: Vatican issues new green message for world's
Catholics
· Pope addresses climate change conference
· US church leaders lobby Bush on global warming
John Vidal and Tom Kington in Rome
Friday April 27, 2007
The Guardian
The Vatican yesterday added its voice to a rising chorus of warnings
from churches around the world that climate change and abuse of the
environment is against God's will, and that the one billion-strong
Catholic church must become far greener.
At a Vatican conference on climate change, Pope Benedict urged
bishops, scientists and politicians - including UK environment
secretary David Miliband - to "respect creation" while "focusing on
the needs of sustainable development".
The Pope's message follows a series of increasingly strong statements
about climate change and the environment, including a warning earlier
this year that "disregard for the environment always harms human
coexistence, and vice versa".
Observers said yesterday that the Catholic church is no longer split
between those who advocate development and those who say the
environment is the priority.
Cardinal Renato Raffaele Martino, head of the Pontifical Council of
Justice and Peace, said:
"For environment ... read Creation. The mastery of man over Creation
must not be despotic or senseless. Man must cultivate and safeguard
God's Creation."
According to Vatican sources, the present Pope is far more engaged in
the green debate than John Paul.
In the past year Benedict has spoken strongly on the need to preserve
rainforests.
In the next few weeks he visits Brazil.
"There is no longer a schism. The new interest in climate change and
the environment is not surprising really. Benedict comes out of 1960s
Germany, where environment and disarmament were major issues. It's
conceivable that his ministry could even culminate in a papal
encyclical on the environment," said one analyst.
This would be the most powerful signal to the world's Catholics about
the need for environmental awareness at every level.
The Catholic church is just one major faith group now rapidly moving
environment to the fore of its social teachings.
"Climate change, biotechnology, trade justice and pollution are all
now being debated at a far higher level by the world's major
religions," said Martin Palmer, secretary general of the Alliance of
Religions and Conservation (Arc).
In some cases the debate is dividing traditionalists from younger
congregations.
In the US the diverse 50m-strong conservative evangelical churches are
increasingly at war about the human contribution to global warming.
Many evangelical leaders say they are still not convinced that global
warming is human-induced and have argued that the collapse of the
world is inevitable and will herald the second coming of Christ.
But most younger leaders have broken ranks.
About four years ago the progressives began to argue strongly that man
had a responsibility to steward the earth.
Redefining environmentalism as "creation care", they are now lobbying
President Bush and the US administration to take global warming far
more seriously.
"They are the most effective lobby," said one observer yesterday.
"They represent the conservative vote so Bush has to listen to them."
Although the World Council of Churches in Geneva has had a department
to investigate climate change since 1990, churches have come late to
the debate.
"The [environment and religion] is a no-brainer, but we are all only
now realising it", said Claire Foster, environmental policy adviser to
the Church of England.
Many faiths also realise their potential to influence politicians and
financiers.
A survey by US bank Citigroup found that the 11 major faiths now
embrace 85% of the world's population and are the world's third
largest group of financial investors.
In the US the United methodist church pension fund alone is worth
$12bn-$15bn.
Total investment of US churches is nearly $70bn.
Switching to ethical investments would be hugely significant.
One Catholic priest impatient for change is Seán McDonagh, a Columban
missionary and author of books on ecology and religion.
"The Catholic church's social teaching on human rights and justice has
been good, but there has been little concern about the impact on the
planet. The church has been caught up on its emphasis on development
and on resisting population control, but if we are pro-life we should
be banging the drum now about climate change."
Backstory
Most of the world's mainstream faiths have at their core a deep
respect for nature, but over hundreds of years many have developed an
ambivalent attitude towards ecology and the pressures put on the earth
by humans.
Church leaders have largely stayed silent on the extinction of species
and natural capital and have concentrated their ethical teachings on
the need to relieve human poverty.
But the reality of impending climate change and the effects it will
have on the poor is concentrating minds and causing many to
fundamentally reassess their understanding of man's place in the
world.
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Harry
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