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J/P Alert is the newsletter of the Justice and Peace office of CMSM. It is intended to inform and stimulate discussion and involvement among the members. Its contents do not necessarily represent official positions of CMSM.
Global
Climate Change:
A Moral and Spiritual Challenge
[The following statement was adopted by the Standing Conference of the Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas (SCOBA) at their May 23, 2007 Session held at St. Vladimir's Seminary in Crestwood, NY.]
To all of the faithful clergy and laity of the Holy Orthodox Church throughout the Americas,
Beloved Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
For favorable weather, an abundance of the fruits of the earth, and temperate seasons, Let us pray to the Lord.
At every Divine Liturgy the Orthodox Church repeats this petition. And the Book of Prayers (Euchologion) contains numerous prayers for gardens, animals, crops, water and weather conditions. In her wisdom, then, the Church has always known that human beings are dependent upon the grace of God through the world around us to nurture and sustain civilized society. Indeed, "God has worked our salvation through the material world" (St. John Damascene, On Divine Images 1,16). While God is the Source of all that we have, and His presence fills the entire world (see Acts 17.28), we humans share a God-given responsibility to care for His creation and offer it back to Him in thanksgiving for all that we have and are.
Thine own of thine own, we offer unto thee, in behalf of all and for all.
The action of returning creation back to God in gratitude and praise summarizes the commands that God gave humanity in the first chapters of Genesis. These commandments are intended to guide us into a fullness of the spiritual and material goods that we need. God tells us to "have dominion over the earth" (Genesis 1.28), which means that we are to care for the earth as the Lord would care for it. In the original Hebrew, the word for dominion (radah) means to rule in the place of the Lord. In the Greek Septuagint, the word for full dominion (katakyrieuo) contains the root word kyrios, the same word that we use for Christ as Lord Ruler over all. From this, it follows that our responsibility as human beings is to enter into His will and to rule as the Lord would rule.
God also tells us that we are "to cultivate and keep the Garden of Eden" (Genesis 2.15, LXX). The literal meaning of this passage is that humans are required to serve the earth as well as to protect it from desecration or exploitation. We are responsible to God for how we use and care for the earth in order that all people may have a sufficiency of all that is needful. It is through our proper use of the material and natural world that God is worshipped: "Through heaven and earth and sea, through wood and stone … through all of creation visible and invisible, we offer veneration and honor to the Creator." (Leontius of Cyprus, Sermon 3 on Icons)
What is further implied in the same commandment is thanksgiving to God for all that we have received through the physical world. Thus, each person has a "priestly" responsibility before God (1 Peter 2.5) to offer back to God that which belongs to Him. All this is implied in the Divine Liturgy, when the presbyter offers back to God what He has placed into human care. Indeed, the commandment "to cultivate and keep" the Garden also implies an expectation that we are to share the things of the world with those who are suffering, with those in need, and to have concern for the good of humanity and the entire creation. Even though our first parents fell away through disobedience, our Lord restored this priestly responsibility to humanity through His life-giving Death and Resurrection.
In our day, however, society has failed to remember these holy mandates about the right conduct of human beings. In our pride, gratitude has often been replaced with greed. As a people, we have forgotten God and foregone our mandated responsibilities. We no longer strive for sufficiency and moderation in all things. Too often, instead of receiving the gifts of God as He would bestow them, we heedlessly take from the earth and needlessly waste its resources, disregarding the impact that our greed exerts upon the life of our neighbors and the life of the world. There is no doubt that the pollution and degradation of the world is directly related to the pollution and the degradation of our hearts. "Look within yourself," writes St. Nilus of Ancyra, "and there you will see the entire world." (Epistles 2,119)
As Church leaders, our concern is service to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, whose Gospel of love teaches us that our response to the welfare of our neighbor and respect for the creation are expressions of our love for God. This means that we are all personally responsible to identify and adopt appropriate moral and ethical approaches to the changing conditions of the world.
Faithful to the responsibility that we have been given within God's good creation, it is prudent for us to listen to the world's scientific leaders as they describe changes occurring in the world's climate, changes that are already being experienced by many people throughout the world. Global climate change assumes many different shapes and appearances within our own country.
In Alaska, for instance, the average temperature has risen by 7†F, causing glaciers to retreat and the Arctic Ocean to lose its summer ice. In Florida, Hawaii and the islands of the Caribbean, coral reefs are dying. In ocean waters such as those off the coast of San Francisco, higher temperatures now result in lower concentrations of plankton, reducing a primary food source for fish and bird life, and ultimately, for humans. Across the western states, a modest increase in temperature has contributed to a six-fold increase in forest fires over the past two decades. In many parts of America, previously distant tropical diseases, such as West Nile virus and dengue fever, are appearing as a direct result of rising temperatures.
These are all clear signs of
a rapidly changing climate. It cannot be predicted in precise detail
how climate change is going to unfold, but
the seriousness of this situation is widely accepted. And, while it
is true that the world's climate has also undergone changes in
past centuries, three crucial considerations make the current changes
serious
and unprecedented:
- The rapid extent of temperature increase is historically unparalleled. Past changes in climate occurred over extended periods of time and were considerably less severe.
- The human role in changing the climate is unique today. In earlier centuries, people did not have the technological capability to make such radical changes to the planet as are now taking place.
- The impact that climate change will exert upon society is great and diverse, inevitably including conditions which deeply disrupt the lives and livelihoods of people on an unprecedented scale.
Climatologists label these changes as the result of measurable increases of carbon dioxide and other so-called "greenhouse gases" in the atmosphere. These gases are produced primarily by the burning or combustion of gasoline, coal and other fossil fuels. Among the many consequences, the atmosphere and the oceans are warming; wind and rainfall patterns are changing; and sea levels are rising. Forces of climate change also increase the acidity of the oceans; they raise the ferocity of storms, especially hurricanes; they cause droughts and heat waves to become more intense; and, in some areas, they disrupt normal agriculture. Furthermore, the changes are not occurring evenly: some parts of the world experience drought and others greater rainfall, even flooding. Importantly, the conditions that we observe now are only the early alterations to our climate. Much larger and far more disruptive changes will result unless we reduce the forces causing climate change.
It should be clear to all of us that immediate measures must be taken to reduce the impact of these changes to the world's climate. If we fail to act now, the changes that are already underway will intensify and create catastrophic conditions. A contributing root cause of these changes to our climate is a lifestyle that contains unintended, nevertheless destructive side effects. It may be that no person intends to harm the environment, but the excessive use of fossil fuels is degrading and destroying the life of creation. Moreover, the impact of our thoughtless actions is felt disproportionately by the poorest and most vulnerable, those most likely to live in marginal areas. By our lack of awareness, then, we risk incurring the condemnation of those who "grind the face of the poor" (Isaiah 3.15) As Church leaders, it is our responsibility to speak to this condition inasmuch as it represents a grave moral and spiritual problem.
Therefore, we wish to emphasize the seriousness and the urgency of the situation. To persist in a path of excess and waste, at the expense of our neighbors and beyond the capability of the planet to support the lifestyle directly responsible for these changes, is not only folly; it jeopardizes the survival of God's creation, the planet that we all share. In the end, not only is it sinful; it is no less than suicidal.
But there is hope. Society can alter its behavior and avoid the more serious consequences of climate change. To do this, however, we must work together to reduce the way that we have exploited the earth's resources, especially its fossil fuels. As Americans, we comprise barely 4% of the world's people; yet we consume over 25% of its resources and energy. Justice and charity for our neighbors demand a more frugal, simple way of living in order to conserve the fruits of creation.
In order to make the required changes, we are called to pray first and foremost for a change in our personal attitudes and habits, in spite of any accompanying inconvenience. Such is the depth of metanoia or repentance. The issue is not merely our response to climate change, but our failure to obey God. We must live in a manner that is consistent with what we believe and how we pray. Our heart must be "merciful, burning with love for the whole of creation." (Abba Isaac the Syrian, Mystic Treatises, Homily 48) At minimum, this means caring about the effect of our lives upon our neighbors, respecting the natural environment, and demonstrating a willingness to live within the means of our planet. Such a change will invariably require reduction in our consumption of fossil fuels as well as acceptance of alternative energy sources such as solar or wind power, and other such methods that minimize our impact upon the world. We can do these things, but it will require intentional effort from each of us.
Nevertheless, we cannot stop
there. We must also learn all that we can about the emerging situation
of climate change. We must set an example
in the way that we choose to live, reaching out and informing others
about this threat. We must discuss with fellow-parishioners and - since
climate change is not only an issue for Orthodox Christians – we
must raise the issue before public officials and elected representatives
at the city, state and national levels. We are all responsible for this
situation, and each one of us can do something to address the problem.
In each generation, God sends some great tests that challenge the life
and future of society. One of the tests for
our time is whether we will be obedient to the commands that God has
given to
us
by exercising self-restraint
in our use of energy, or whether we will ignore those commands and
continue to seek the comforts and excesses that over-reliance on fossil
fuels
involves.
At every Divine Liturgy, we pray for seasonable weather. Let us enter into this prayer and amend our lives in whatever ways may be necessary to meet the divine command that we care for the earth as the Lord's. If we can do this, if we can render our lives as a blessing rather than a curse for our neighbors and for the whole creation, then, God willing, we may live and flourish. This is not an optional matter. We will be judged by the choices we make. The Scriptures bluntly tell us that if we destroy the earth, then God will destroy us (see Revelation 11:18).
Let us all recall the commands
of God regarding our use of the earth. Let us respond to the divine
commandments so that the blessings of God
may be abundantly upon us. And let us responsibly discern the right,
holy and proper way to live in this time of change and challenge. Then
we shall "perceive everything in the light of the Creator God." (St.
John Climacus, Ladder of Divine Ascent, Step 4,58)
Colombia: Elsa, Manuel and don Carlos remembered
Ten years after the murder of Elsa Alvarado and Mario Calderón, two researchers at the Jesuit-run Center for Research and Popular Education (CINEP) in Bogotá, a "Day for Life and Against Impunity" was celebrated in the capital of Colombia. The day, organized by CINEP together with local NGOs and human rights organizations and supported by the mayor's office, culminated in a concert by the National Symphony Orchestra in Bogotá's main square.
Mario Calderón, Elsa Alvarado and Elsa's father don Carlos Alvarado were killed at dawn on 19 May 1997 when several heavily armed men entered their apartment in the north of Bogotá and shot indiscriminately at the five people present. Only Elsa's mother and the couple's son survived. The perpetrators were caught but later freed through legal trickery. Those who masterminded the crime were never prosecuted, but such leads as there are point to paramilitary groups out to intimidate human rights organizations in Colombia.
Mauricio Archila, history professor in Bogotá and researcher at CINEP, describes the day of memorial and celebration: "There were stern and serious faces full of pain and there were cheerful voices and youthful laughter. The human warmth breathing through this scene managed to beat the cold and humidity of the day and also overcame pessimism while facing the magnitude of the call [to fight impunity]." He continues: "In this way, against wind, rain and cold, we put into practice the appeal that appeared on many walls of the city a few days after the murder of Mario, Elsa and don Carlos: 'Do not idealize us, but do not forget us'." (Mauricio Archila marchila@telecom.com.co)
[From Headlines, published by the Jesuit Social Justice Secretariat in Rome.]
Immigration Reform
[Testimony of Most Reverend Thomas G. Wenski, Bishop of Orlando, Florida, before the House Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security, and International Law on Comprehensive Immigration Reform (May 22, 2007)]
As providers of pastoral and social services to immigrants throughout the nation, we in the Catholic Church witness the human consequences of a broken immigration system every day in our parishes, social service programs, hospitals, and schools. Families are divided, migrant workers are exploited and abused, and human beings unnecessarily die in the American desert. As a participant in the public debate, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has attempted to point out the human suffering that occurs in our country each day as a result of an immigration system that lacks due process protections and fails to provide the legal status and legal avenues needed to protect immigrants from exploitation.
As a moral matter, the United States cannot employ a system which accepts the toil, taxes, and other contributions undocumented immigrants make to our nation without providing them the protection of the law. I would also add that sending nations have an obligation as well to pursue policies that produce living wage jobs so that their citizens can remain in their country and support their families in dignity.
The Church's work in assisting migrants stems from the belief that every person is created in God's image. In the Old Testament, God calls upon his people to care for the alien because of their own alien experience: "So, you, too, must befriend the alien, for you were once aliens yourselves in the land of Egypt" (Deut. 10:17-19). In the New Testament, the image of the migrant is grounded in the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. In his own life and work, Jesus identified himself with newcomers and with other marginalized persons in a special way: "I was a stranger and you welcomed me." (Mt. 25:35) Jesus himself was an itinerant preacher without a home of his own as well as a refugee fleeing the terror of Herod. (Mt. 2:15)…
Pope John Paul II stated that there is a need to balance the rights of nations to control their borders with basic human rights, including the right to work: "Interdependence must be transformed into solidarity based upon the principle that the goods of creation are meant for all." 1 In his pastoral statement, Ecclesia in America, John Paul II reaffirms the rights of migrants and their families and the need for respecting human dignity, "even in cases of non-legal immigration."2…
In our recent joint pastoral letter, the U.S. and Mexican Catholic bishops further define Church teaching on migration, calling for nations to work toward a "globalization of solidarity:" "It is now time to harmonize policies on the movement of people, particularly in a way that respects the human dignity of the migrant and recognizes the social consequences of globalization." 3…
[T]he U.S. Catholic bishops believe that any comprehensive immigration reform bill should include 1) an earned legalization program that gives migrant workers and their families the opportunity to obtain permanent residency; 2) a new worker visa program that protects the labor rights of both U.S. and foreign-born workers and gives participants the opportunity to earn permanent residency; 3) reform of the family-based preference system to ensure that families are reunited in a timely fashion; 4) restoration of due process protections for immigrants; and 5) policies that address the root causes of migration, such as the lack of sustainable development in sending countries. We also urge Congress to ensure that provisions are included to facilitate the implementation of any bill in an efficient and fair manner….
It is critical that the Congress and the administration look at the immigration issue with Mexico and other governments as part and parcel of the entire bilateral relationship, including trade and economic considerations. Addressing the immigration systems of both nations, for example, will not control the forces that compel migrants to come to the United States.
In an ideal world for which we must all strive, migrants should have the opportunity to remain in their homelands and support themselves and their families. In this regard, we renew our call to both the U.S. and Mexican governments to resume bilateral migration negotiations so that all issues that impact migration to the United States are addressed….
We are hopeful that, as the House of Representatives debates this issue, neither legal nor undocumented immigrants will be made scapegoats of the challenges we face as a nation. Rhetoric which attacks the human rights and dignity of the migrant does not serve a nation of immigrants; additionally, xenophobic and anti-immigrant attitudes will only serve to lessen us as a nation. The U.S. bishops are hopeful that this debate will consider not only the negative effects of illegal immigration but also the many benefits that immigrants bring to our communities and our nation.
1 Pope John Paul II, Sollicitudo
Rel Socialis, (On Social
Concern) No. 39.
2 Pope John Paul II, Ecclesia in America (The Church
in America), January 22,
1999,
no. 65.
3 Strangers No Longer: Together on the Journey of Hope.
A Pastoral Letter Concerning Migration from the Catholic Bishops of Mexico and
the United States," January
23, 2003, n. 57.
Vatican ambassador encourages voluntary simplicity to reverse climate change
[From The Catholic Telegraph, official newspaper of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, April 27, 2007]
COLUMBUS, Ohio - Every Catholic can do something about climate change by adopting a life of voluntary simplicity, believes the Vatican's ambassador to the United Nations.
It comes down to "working less, wanting less, spending less," thus reducing the impact each person has on the environment, Archbishop Celestino Migliore told the second in a series of regional Catholic conversations on climate change Saturday.
Citing Genesis' call to humanity to oversee creation and protect it and the church's social doctrine, the Vatican diplomat outlined the Holy See's position on the need for Catholics to heed the environmental dangers facing the planet.
"
The denigration of the environment has become an inescapable reality," the
archbishop said.
"
There is no doubt that the latest assessment has established a strong
connection between human activity and climate change," he said,
referring to the February statement by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change.
Archbishop Migliore acknowledged that although not all scientists agree that climate change is occurring, other environmental threats, such as indiscriminate deforestation, water pollution, the lack of potable water in parts of the world and depletion of fish stocks, demand action from the world community and individual Catholics alike.
"We need to drink deep from this frustrating foundation of knowledge and wisdom, known as the aggressive and progressive degradation of the environment, that has become an inescapable reality," he said.
Archbishop Migliore called God's placing of humans in the Garden of Eden with the instruction of not only taming nature, but keeping, or preserving, it as well. God's instruction was not so much a commandment but a blessing "to perfect, not destroy, the cosmos," he said.
Any steps to protect the environment must depend on more than the use of technology and traditional economics but also on "ethical, social and religious values as well," he said.
Likewise, any corrective steps require turning to people in the developing world, especially those living in dire poverty, and making decisions with their advice and consent, the papal nuncio said.
"With humans open to love, creation becomes the place for the mutual exchange of gifts among people," he said.
Progress and hope are taking root in Haiti, the poorest country in the Western hemisphere where 70% of the population lives on less than $1 a day.
The Lambi Fund of Haiti is a grassroots organization that works through peasant organizations in Haiti to help strengthen society and put food on Haitian tables through sustainable development, micro-credit, training, and environmental projects.
The story of a Haitian named Jean of the Peasant Association of Mapou illustrates how the Lambi Fund works to actuate a modern day exodus, delivering Haitians from suffering and oppression. In Jean's area, communities fought over access to water for their crops. Jean saw the importance of a water project and spoke to Lambi Fund's regional monitors, who said Lambi would be glad to help with the understanding that the community would have to do most of the work themselves. Lambi brought in Haitian experts to show the people where and how to build an irrigation canal. After the canal was built, communities worked together to provide a consistent source of water to each other's fields. Jean comments:
"The canal has given me much more than reliable
water to grow high yield crops. It has given me extra money for my
son's school books
in Port-au-Prince…This project has taught us how to protect our
fields and the surrounding mountains so that we have cleaner water
and less erosion in the future. We are reinvesting some of these profits
from the sale of our crops into reforestation."
The Lambi Fund helps our brothers and sisters in need in Haiti by being more than a charity. Lambi supports sustainable projects that address the root causes of poverty as identified by Haitians themselves. Through training and projects, Lambi provides the extra push Haitian peasant groups need to create their own stable civil society and work toward permanent change in Haiti. Lambi seeks to teach people "how to fish," so they are fed for a lifetime!
The Lambi Fund is a way we as a community of faith can answer Jesus' call in Matthew 25:45 to help the "least of these" by empowering our neighbors in Haiti. More information is available on the Lambi Fund web site.
Restoring the Constitution Act of 2007
Sen. Christopher Dodd's bill, S. 576, "Restoring the Constitution Act of 2007," was introduced in mid-February 2007 to roll back portions of the Military Commissions Act of 2006 (MCA). Rep. Jerrold Nadler introduced a companion bill (H.R. 1415) in March 2007. The MCA defined and established enemy combatant status, laid out procedures for Military Commissions trying those charged by the U.S. with criminal violations in association with the administration's "global war on terror," authorized the president to define what acts constitute torture, and eliminated the protection of habeas corpus for non-citizen detainees, among other provisions.
The RCA —
- Reasserts adherence to the Geneva Conventions, assuring humane treatment for all prisoners, military and civilian.
- Prohibits evidence obtained through torture to be used in court. The RCA returns the U.S. to outlawing hear-say testimony and testimony obtained through "coercion."
- Holds accountable those who have authorized or committed acts of torture. Removes the current provision for retroactive immunity to American personnel who authorized or committed war crimes.
- Clarifies the definition of "enemy combatant" and no longer gives the President the power to decide who is in that category.
- Restores due process. The RCA restores the right of habeas corpus; innocent people including non-citizen detainees could no longer be held indefinitely without charge or trial as currently permitted.
[From the web site of the National Religious Campaign against Torture]
Your comments and suggestions are always welcome.
How
can the Justice and Peace Office help you get involved?
T. Michael McNulty, SJ, editor
mmcnulty@cmsm.org
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