Church’s Teaching and Resources
In 2008 Pope Benedict encouraged the faithful,
“Do not be fooled by those who see you as just another consumer in a market of undifferentiated possibilities, where choice itself becomes the good, novelty usurps beauty, and subjective experience displaces truth…My dear friends, God’s creation is one and it is good. The concerns for non-violence, sustainable development, justice and peace, and care for our environment are of vital importance for humanity” (World Youth Day, 2008).
The Church teaches us that creation is a gift from God, and that we have the moral obligation to exercise responsible stewardship of God’s creation for ourselves and for future generations. As the urgency of environmental issues becomes increasingly evident , Church leaders have raised their voices to call for effective responses, consistent with two overarching moral questions:
- how to exercise responsible stewardship over creation, especially as human capacity to alter the natural environment grows; and
- how to ensure that care for creation is promoted in a way that earthly resources are seen as gifts to be shared by all (the common good), and that promotes integral human development based on justice.
Several Church institutions have created meaningful ways to reflect and act on the principle of caring for God’s creation. CRS is a member of the Catholic Coalition on Climate Change, and we encourage you to use the prayer and action materials created by CCCC, and its project, Catholic Climate Covenant, to pray, learn, and act in response to the call to care for God’s creation.
Young people in particular may need guidance about how to make lifestyle decisions related to environmental stewardship. Visit the CRS Education Resource Website for ways to engage youth with their peers and educators. Also visit the Catholic Coalition’s new resource for engaging youth: Friending Planet Earth.
Commit yourself to addressing climate change now!