Earth – and humanity – cry out

One of the first areas to be swept away by the tsunami in Japan was the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sendai, which serves around 11,000 Catholics; no one knows how many are in the rising death toll, writes Mary Colwell. Ninety miles away from the epicentre of the earthquake and westwards from Sendai is the apparition site of Our Lady of Akita, where the Virgin Mary appeared to a Japanese religious sister, Sr Agnes Sasagawa. In three apparitions in 1973 she is said to have predicted a number of "calamities" so great that they will wipe out much of humanity. It is an area well used to earthquakes, which occur every 40 years or so, so warnings of dire events are not so surprising. The plates of the earth have not finished shifting, the thermal currents driving the motion are still churning and until the day the earth cools humanity will experience earthquakes and some of them will be devastating.

"Contemplating the beauty of Creation inspires us to recognise the love of the Creator, that Love which moves the sun and the other stars," said Pope Benedict in his Message for the Celebration of the World Day of Peace, on 1 January 2010. It is hard to recognise that love, looking at the television images. Instead what we see is a planet that has no regard for humanity at all.

I have attended many Catholic environmental meetings where the theme is based around answering the call to be "stewards of Creation". The underlying message is that nature should be managed in such a way that we are respectful and share its resources wisely. The earth is treated as the victim and humanity as the greedy oppressors who have caused the problems and must put things right. Then, without warning, this beautiful but misused planet crushes our cities, destroys our nuclear power plants and traumatises people throughout the world. Thousands are dead and we are left confused about nature, God and our role on earth.

Psychologists recognise this as cognitive dissonance, a feeling of tension that comes from holding two conflicting views at the same time. The uncomfortable feelings increase with the importance we give to these competing views and we try to find ways of reducing the anxiety. One way is to dismiss the idea that the earth is a nurturing provider that reflects the face of God but rather is a threat that has to be overcome. Stewardship is rejected and the focus becomes entirely human-centred.

The Greek Orthodox Church has a more realistic view of the interconnectedness of nature and humanity. Rather than be at the top of the chain, human beings are considered part of the ongoing process of Creation. People are not stewards who manage and organise but priests of Creation whose role is to sanctify nature and who are open to the mystery of the creative process. When Job cried out to God in anguish, demanding to know the reason for his suffering, God put him in his place:

Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?

Tell me, if you have understanding

Who determined its measurements - surely you know!

Or who stretched the line upon it?

On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone when the morning stars sang together and all the heavenly beings shouted for joy? (Job 38:4-7)

The Church has a unique role at this time because of the many widespread environmental problems that threaten disasters in the future: climate change, habitat loss, over-fishing, pollution, the list goes on. All these man-made problems have the potential to cause flooding, drought and starvation.

In July 2010 scientists at Tohoku University in Sendai published their findings following the tsunami in Indonesia. They studied the mangrove swamps that were still intact around the coastal fringes and concluded that mangroves can reduce the impact of a five-metre tsunami wave by up to 80 per cent, particularly if the vegetation is old and established. Coastal features such as salt flats, mud flats and coral reefs dampen the power of waves and considerably reduce storm surges. Yet people are constantly ripping out vegetation around coastlines and building ports and cities on the edge of the sea. Japan's eastern seaboard is one of the most densely populated in the world. Who spoke out against this development?

This could be a moment to re-engage with God and examine the role of humanity on earth. People cannot control the movements of tectonic plates but they can reduce the effect of natural disasters and change the course they are on to diminish the threats of the future. The Church has a choice: to follow in the wake of disasters and take on the role of comforter of the victims - a valued role - or will it also offer insights and inspiration for a new relationship with nature?

Mary Colwell is a specialist broadcaster and writer on natural history and the environment.