In his encyclical Caritas in Veritate, released in July, Pope Benedict recognises the interconnectedness of our actions – if we mistreat the world we mistreat ourselves because everything is bound to everything else. He links nature not only to the environment, but to human ecology – all of our relationships speak of the moral tenor of society.
The encyclical firmly places care for the natural world at the heart of Catholic teaching and action, with the Pope urging the Church to assert her responsibility in the public sphere and defend the natural world, linking environmental stewardship to protecting humankind from self-destruction. Concern for the earth is fundamentally related to justice, peace and human development.
He stresses that our lifestyles speak of our mental and moral state and that hedonism, consumerism and disregard for other life can and do have harmful consequences for all. Development of the human person in charity and truth now includes a deep concern for the gift of creation.
“The environment is God’s gift to everyone, and in our use of it we have a responsibility towards the poor, towards future generations and towards humanity as a whole,” he says. “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 recognises 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. Neither attitude is consonant with the Christian vision of nature as the fruit of God’s creation.”
To read the Caritas in Veritate encyclical in full, see