Faith & Ecology: August 2009 Archives

Pope Benedict XVI & nature.jpgHave 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."

About the author

Paul A. Zalonski is from New Haven, CT. He is a member of the Fraternity of Communion and Liberation, a Catholic ecclesial movement and an Oblate of Saint Benedict. Contact Paul at paulzalonski[at]yahoo.com.

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This page is a archive of entries in the Faith & Ecology category from August 2009.

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