“We are all responsible for the protection and care of the environment. This responsibility knows no boundaries.” “Preservation of the environment, promotion of sustainable development and particular attention to climate change are matters of grave concern for the entire human family.” “Too often, attention is diverted from the needs of populations, insufficient emphasis is placed Read more
Environmental campaigner and former US vice-president Al Gore has said he could become Catholic because of Pope Francis. At an event at the University of California, Berkeley, Mr Gore said he thinks Francis is “quite an inspiring figure, really”. “I’ve been startled with the clarity of the moral force that he embodies,” Mr Gore said. Read more
Cardinal Peter Turkson says the Church cannot remain indifferent to the the plight of sinking pacific islands. He says he is sometimes approached by people telling him that he entered the seminary to save souls, not to “meddle” with political or scientific issues. “But I have bishops in the Pacific Islands telling me the land Read more
The Pope’s encyclical on the environment is now finalised and is being translated into different languages, with an anticipated release in June. Vatican officials made this announcement on April 28 at a one-day Rome summit on climate change. According to a report on the Crux website, the President of the Pontifical Academy for Sciences, Bishop Read more
From where I’m standing, the city-sized Baogang Steel and Rare Earth complex dominates the horizon, its endless cooling towers and chimneys reaching up into grey, washed-out sky. Between it and me, stretching into the distance, lies an artificial lake filled with a black, barely-liquid, toxic sludge. Dozens of pipes line the shore, churning out a Read more
This summer, Pope Francis plans to release an encyclical letter in which he will address environmental issues, and very likely climate change. His statement will have a profound impact on the public debate. For one, it will elevate the spiritual, moral and religious dimensions of the issue. Calling on people to protect the global climate Read more
Pope Francis reportedly cleared his schedule last week to focus on a final revision of his upcoming encyclical on the environment. The document is expected to be released in June or July. According to a Catholic News Service report, the encyclical will build on what Pope Francis’s predecessors have said. The document is expected to Read more
Pope Francis has strongly criticised the notion of gender theory as an example of an attitude that sins against God the creator. In an interview published in a book recently released in Italy, the Pope put gender theory in the same category as genetic manipulation and nuclear weapons. These are all threats to creation, that Read more
New Zealand artist and ecologist Fr Peter Healy says his paintings are like a spiritual prayer presenting the beauty of creation. He was speaking at the opening of an exhibition of some of his paintings at the Mahara Gallery in Waikanae. Peter said his paintings were his way of capturing the truth of nature and Read more
Pope Francis is to convene a meeting of faith leaders to address climate change issues ahead of two international summits next year. An encyclical on the environment, which will also address climate change, is expected from Francis next year. Bishop Marcelo Sánchez Sorondo, chancellor of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, said the encyclical would be Read more