John Vidal and Tom Kington in Rome
Friday April 27, 2007
The Guardian
An Arctic coastline yesterday where the sea is usually still frozen at this time of year. The Vatican has added its voice to concerns over global warming. Photograph: Francois Lenoir/Reuters
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 (£6bn-£7bn). 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.
Poor and Vulnerable Will Suffer Most from Inaction and Neglect on Climate Change, Says USCCB Official
WASHINGTON (June 8, 2007) — An official of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) told a Senate committee that those who contributed least to the problems of global climate change- - the poor and the vulnerable- - will be most affected, bear the greatest burdens, and have the least capacity to escape.
Citing the Church’s experience in serving those in need, including the poorest people on earth served in 100 countries by Catholic Relief Services, John L. Carr said: “We see with our own eyes that poor people in our country and in poor countries often lack the resources and capacity to adapt and avoid the negative consequences of climate change.”
“Their lives, homes, children and work are most at risk,” he continued. “Ironically the poor and vulnerable generally contribute much less to the problem but are more likely to pay the price of neglect and delay and bear disproportionate burdens of inaction or unwise actions.”
The USCCB Secretary of Social Development and World Peace presented testimony (June 7) on the “Religious and Moral Dimensions of Global Climate Change” to the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works.
“The religious leaders here today share an abiding love for God’s gift of creation and the biblical mandate and moral responsibility to care for creation,” Carr said. “We believe our response to global climate change is a sign of our respect for God’s creation and moral measure of our nation’s leadership and stewardship.”
The Conference officials said the U.S. bishops accept the growing consensus on climate change represented by the International Panel on Climate Change, but also recognize continuing debate and some uncertainties about its speed and severity. “However, it is neither wise nor useful to minimize (or exaggerate) the growing consensus, the continuing uncertainties and policy challenges,” he stated.
Carr cited the U.S. bishops’ insistence:
“(A)t its core, global climate change is not simply about economic theory or political platforms, nor about partisan advantage or interest group pressures. Rather, global climate change is about the future of God’s creation and the one human family. It is about our human stewardship of God’s creation and our responsibility to those generations who will succeed us. If we harm the atmosphere, we dishonor our Creator and the gift of creation.”
In his testimony, Carr said the bishops were “voicing the principled concerns of a community of faith, not an interest group. We are not the Sierra Club at prayer or the Catholic caucus of the coal lobby. The Catholic bishops seek to help sharp this debate by drawing on traditional moral principles of Catholic teaching: prudence, the common good and a priority for the poor. “He said the bishops’ statements and approach were “nuanced, not alarmist; traditional, not trendy; an expression of faith, not politics. For us, this concern began with Genesis, not Earth Day.”
Carr said the Catholic Church has long grappled with the problems of global climate change at many levels. He cited the 2001 statement by the U.S. Catholic Bishops, Global Climate Change: Plea for Dialogue, Prudence and the Common Good; papal statements by John Paul II and Benedict XVI; the Catholic Coalition on Climate Change, which recently held state-wide meetings in Florida, Ohio, and Alaska to bring together public officials, leaders from business, labor, environment, and religion; last week’s major Vatican convening on climate change; and the June 1 letter to the leaders of the G-8 Summit by the Presidents of the Catholic Bishops’ Conferences of Germany, Canada, Japan, France, England and Wales, Russia, and the United States.
Noting that the voices and the presence of the poor and vulnerable are often missing in debates and decisions on climate change, the USCCB official called on the Senate committee and the religious community to help ensure those voices are heard, their needs addressed, and their burdens eased.
“This priority for the poor cannot be a marginal concern in climate policy, but rather must be a central focus and clear measure of future legislation and policy choices,” Carr said. “If we do not address climate change and global poverty together, we will fail both morally and practically.”
“While there are no easy answers, the religious community can re-affirm our traditional message of restraint, moderation and sacrifice for our own good, the good of ‘the least of these’ and the good of God’s creation. We are convinced that the moral measure of debate and decisions on climate change will be whether we act with prudence to protect God’s creation, advance the common good, and protect the lives and lift the burdens of the poor,” Carr concluded.
NOTE: The full text of the testimony by John Carr can be found on the USCCB Web site at http://www.usccb.org/sdwp/ http://www.usccb.org/sdwp/ejp/climate/lettersalerts.shtml
