Have you ever considered what a 21st century theology
of creation would look like? What experts would you follow? Would you ever
think of Pope Benedict as a green pope? Could the leader of the 1 billion plus
Catholics lead the charge in standing on the side the culture of life AND the
environment? As Benedict's ministry as the Supreme Pontiff unfolds so is his
vision of what humanity is as gift of God and our responsibility to care for
it. Pope Benedict is offering us a way of being environmentally conscious that
is coherent with faith and reason. As he said in July 2007, "Our earth speaks to us, and we must listen if we
want to survive." In his recent letter to the world, Caritas
in Veritate, Pope Benedict wrote: "When nature, including the human being, is
viewed as the result of mere chance or evolutionary determinism, our sense of
responsibility wanes. In nature, the believer recognizes the wonderful result
of God's creative activity, which we may use responsibly to satisfy our
legitimate needs, material or otherwise, while respecting the intrinsic balance
of creation. If this vision is lost, we end up either considering nature an
untouchable taboo or, on the contrary, abusing it." Read John Allen's analysis.By the way, he's not the only head of a Church who is acting in a green way, so
is Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople...he's known as the "green
patriarch."
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