The excellent papal encyclical Laudato si’ is addressed to everybody but it challenges Catholics in particular to address the effects of climate change.
In England and Wales environmental initiatives by Catholics thus far have been limited – the responsibility for such things in the most part being passed to the bishops’ overseas aid and development charity, Cafod.
The bishops’ conference’s Catholic Environmental Justice Group, which could have played a role, was disbanded two years ago. Some people involved in the group believed there was more than a little climate scepticism in the corridors of the bishops’ conference headquarters in London.
What work that has been done on addressing climate change has been largely lay-led, via initiatives such as Eco-congregation’s Live Simply parish awards. The Columbans’ Justice Peace and Integrity of Creation team has also played a big role in taking the issue forward.
However the Church in England and Wales has some way to go if it is to play a role in helping to bring about the “cultural revolution” demanded by the Pope.
Francis seems to be demanding a personal conversion from all of us, a turning away from the consumerist world in which we live.
At a local level, this means that churches and schools must become beacons of environmentally friendly living, and priests must deliver a message of sustainable living from the pulpit, maybe even dissuading people from the unnecessary use of cars and aeroplanes. Clergy must walk the walk as well as talk the talk.
It must also mean churches investing in sustainable energy systems. Buildings should be fully insulated, using renewable energy via solar panels. Parish and school gardens should if possible include space for growing crops. Churches should team up with local initiatives, such as community efforts to save bees. They could carry out environmental audits to ensure that targets towards more sustainable living were being achieved. Parishes and schools must become integral parts of the local ecological architecture. Some of these principles are encapsulated in the Live Simply parish awards but more needs to be done.
At the national level, the encyclical demands that the Church intervenes on matters of environmental significance. This means, for example, making representations on the recently announced move by the Government to stop subsidies to onshore wind turbines from next April.
The encyclical is wide-ranging, and it calls for the Church to intervene in areas ranging from biodiversity to the world of work.
Church interventions on care for the environment should be given the same weight of resource and effort as we see on matters such as abortion and euthanasia.
For this to happen the Church has to build up the resources it devotes to environmental issues. The Church of England has environmental officers in pretty much every diocese. The Catholic Church has virtually nothing. The feeble resources it devotes to the protection of the environment is testimony to the lack of priority the Catholic Church in England and Wales gives to the subject.
Pope Francis’s encyclical is an eloquent clarion call for this attitude to change. It demands that the Church comes to the forefront of the movement to save the planet. It calls on all of us to speak out when we become aware of activities that are damaging to the environment. The Church must become a beacon of environmental good practice. The roots are there for such developments but they need a lot of watering.
Paul Donovan is a freelance journalist
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Bob thank you for your recommendation for us all to make more changes in our personal lives for the sake of the present and future of the living earth. May be your parish works differently, but even when we try to make individual efforts, these will I think for most of us be enhanced and encouraged by whatever we are doing together in the parish and by the importance given to ecological justice in what is said and done in our communities, including its officers.
Paul Donovan opens with the unsubstantiated claim that, ‘environmental initiatives by Catholics thus far have been limited’. How does he know the environmental credentials of several million Catholics in Britain?! Nonetheless, he is correct to state that Pope Francis is, ‘demanding a personal conversion from all of us, a turning away from the consumerist world in which we live’.
Unfortunately, Mr Donovan places his trust in institutional solutions exemplified by his promotion of ‘environmental officers’, ‘Live Simply parish awards’, ‘environmental audits’ and management-speak clichés such as ‘beacon of environmental good practice’. For far too long issues ranging from euthanasia to vocations have been seen as a committee or campaign responsibility. These and other issues are the responsibility of every Catholic, every parish and every level of the Church. Likewise, caring for our common home will not be achieved through bureaucracies, their functionaries and a constant round of conferences, workshops and campaigns fuelled by righteous indignation.
It is easy to criticise governments, corporations or the Bishops’ Conference; it is quite another matter changing our own lifestyle and urging others to do likewise. Much, however, can be achieved by each of us striving to live our lives according to the Word, and following the Mass dismissal that instructs us - ‘Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life’.
Great points there, Denis. Thanks for the rest. Whale is a matter of squealing, whining, and wailing at the same time, or "squayling", so children should take to it easily. Perhaps it can be incorporated into the music of the liturgy at the Kyrie, accompanied by rhythmic sensuous motions that mimic cetaceans swimming, on those days that the rector plans a homily on the environment. Well, my carbon footprint on this article is probably already getting too large, so I'll go back to counting the leaves on the tree in my backyard.
The first two comments neatly illustrate Paul Donovan's shocking point that when it comes to enacting global justice on climate and biosphere, the local Catholic Church is ill-informed and the hierarchy "has virtually nothing" provided in the way of resources. Denis please re-read the title of Paul's article, and both please read the encyclical, even if Fr Brain would find it easier to discuss loose gears with Jeremy Clarkson.
I don't know where Paul Donovan gets the notion that our bishops are euro sceptic. They fall over themselves to drive the euro project whenever end wherever they can. Their spokesman, Bishop Kenney even going so far as to re- interpret the Pope's message to the EU to ensure it appeared as the Holy Father really meant it.
By the way I'm with Father Gearloose on the issue of Whale song. Perhaps we could have a get together!
Catholic Sunday catechism should also include lessons in how to speak whale, so that we may communicate with our finned brethren at the beach, and even sing a few hymns in church like whales.