The Church and Ecology

In his January message for World Day of Peace 2010 entitled “If You Want to Cultivate Peace, Protect Creation,” Pope Benedict XVI speaks of the need for the Church and all Catholics to answer the call to realize—and react to—the concerns facing our environment. This message, and others like it, stem from the long tradition of environmental stewardship in Church teachings.

To learn more about the Church’s views on ecology and its recognition that care for the Earth is a global issue for which we all have a responsibility, visit the following links:

If You Want to Cultivate Peace, Protect Creation
by Pope Benedict XVI, January 10, 2010

Environmental Justice Program: Caring for God's Creation
by the U.S. Catholic Bishops

Catholic Church on Environmental Degradation
Interfacing Theology and the Natural Sciences, Marquette University

The National Religious Partnership for the Environment
Jewish, Catholic, Protestant and Eastern Orthodox Collaborative Efforts

NCC Eco-Justice Program , Eco-Justice, Environmental Justice, Environment and Faith
National Council of Churches of Christ

The Church, the Environment and the U.N. Millennium Goals
(Catholic News Service)

Climate Change Justice and Health
by the U.S. Catholic Bishops

Renewing the Earth
a pastoral letter by the U.S. Catholic Bishops, 1991

Global Climate Change: A Plea for Dialogue, Prudence, and the Common Good
by the U.S. Catholic Bishops, 2001

Address of Pope Benedict XVI to the Members of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, 2006

Papal Message to the 14th Session of the Commission on Sustainable Development, 2006