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| Image: https://www.newsecuritybeat.org/2016/01/paris-whats-status-environmental-refugees/ |
Pope Francis has written an amazing encyclical on The Care of Our Common Home - Laudato 'Si. In it he points out that care for the environment, and care for the people most vulnerable to the ravages of climate change, are two sides of the same coin. Although it is the Pope who has taken the lead in melding the best of theology and science to produce this social encyclical, the laity have the principal role in putting that care into practice - this according to the Vatican II Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium, paragraph 36...
"36... The faithful, therefore, must learn the deepest meaning and the value of all creation, as well as its role in the harmonious praise of God. They must assist each other to live holier lives even in their daily occupations. In this way the world may be permeated by the spirit of Christ and it may more effectively fulfill its purpose in justice, charity and peace. THE LAITY HAVE THE PRINCIPAL ROLE IN THE OVERALL FULFILLMENT OF THIS DUTY. Therefore, by their competence in secular training and by their activity, elevated from within by the grace of Christ, let them vigorously contribute their effort, so that created goods may be perfected by human labor, technical skill and civic culture for the benefit of all men according to the design of the Creator and the light of His Word. MAY THE GOODS OF THIS WORLD BE MORE EQUITABLY DISTRIBUTED AMONG ALL MEN, and may they in their own way be conducive to universal progress in human and Christian freedom. In this manner, through the members of the Church, will Christ progressively illumine the whole of human society with His saving light."
So, that all sounds wonderful, but it begs a few questions: How do we do this caring - for the environment and the environmentally vulnerable, especially environmental refugees? How important is this in the grand scheme of our daily lives and other responsibilities? How do we generate enthusiasm for the cause? In short, how do we make a difference? AND... How does accountability work?
