Francis on the Environment

"475. Create consciousness in the Americas of the importance of the Amazon for all humankind. Establish a collaborative ministry among the local churches of the various South American countries in the Amazon basin, with differentiated priorities for creating a development model that puts the poor first and serves the common good." From the Concluding Document of the Aparecida Conference of Caribbean and Latin American Bishops, 2007, principle author Cardinal Bergoglio

Pope Francis hasn't had a lot to say on the environment as yet but if the Aparecida document is a guide he will take a refreshingly clear eyed view of green concerns. The CELAM Bishops see the earth, including the Amazon Basin, as the property of us all, especially of the poor and excluded. They don't suggest the Amazon be left pristine and untouched as some greens would have it. They see it as a priceless asset that can be used to serve the common good.

The Bishops have a biblical view of man's relationship with God's creation. We have been placed in charge. We are to till it, care for it, make it productive, and turn it over to our descendants more valuable than when we found it. They rightly chastise industrialized nations and their corporations for excessive pursuit of profit and often wanton disregard for Mother Earth. "471. a free legacy that we receive to protect, as a precious space for shared human life and as careful responsibility of human stewardship for the good of all. This legacy often proves to be weak and defenseless against economic and technological powers. Hence, as prophets of life we want to insist that the interests of economic groups that irrationally demolish sources of life are not to prevail in dealing with natural resources...The generations that succeed us are entitled to receive an inhabitable world, not a planet with polluted air."

But nowhere do the Bishops suggest the industrial revolution be dismantled. Rather, they see possibilities for serving the common good. Nations can act as the conscience for corporations. The church has a roll to play in developing that conscience, and "creating a development model that puts the poor first."

The CELAM Bishops have a couple of other constructive proposals. One is to "474. c) Pursue an alternative development model, one that is comprehensive and communal, based on an ethics that includes responsibility for an authentic natural and human ecology, which is based on the gospel of justice, solidarity, and the universal destination of goods, and that overcomes its utilitarian and individualistic thrust, which fails to subject economic and technological powers to ethical criteria."

There is a lot of theological jargon in that short passage but the thrust is the Bishops want to get the church involved in development plans for the Amazon Basin, and for its people. They want a strong moral component in planning and execution as we proceed to make the best use of precious natural resources. Those resources belong to us all.

The church should be in the middle of this, not impeding progress but making sure it is genuine. And this call is not restricted to church hierarchy. It  is to every Catholic, every Christian really, and it isn't optional. We are required by our faith and by Baptism to inform ourselves, our families, our communities, and our civic and corporate decision makers that we expect just outcomes as this development proceeds. This is powerful stuff.

The Aparecida document is too long and too filled with ecclesiastical hyperbole to appeal to most readers. But I think it offers valuable insights into the thinking of our new Pope on a number of issues, especially social justice issues. If you want a hint about what he thinks about care for God's Creation, read section 9.8. It's only a few paragraphs and the language is more reader friendly than in many such documents.

I think we are in for some interesting conversations.