Pope Benedict Issues New Encyclical Calling for Sustainable Business, Development Models
Pope Benedict XVI added to his growing reputation as the “green Pope” on Tuesday with the release of a new encyclical Caritas in Veritate (Charity in Truth). A call for sustainable development in the broadest sense, the Pope’s letter addressed the human and environmental costs of “business as usual,” and established “doing well by doing good” as the business philosophy most consistent with Church doctrine and Biblical teaching.
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Chapter Four of Caritas in Veritate addresses environmental issues directly; among the arguments the Pope makes for “creation care”:
- “The environment is God’s gift to everyone…”: Benedict argues for a sustainable approach to the use of natural resources, claiming that human use of nature carries “a responsibility towards the poor, towards future generations and towards humanity as a whole.”
- “Nature expresses a design of love and truth”: In this section, the Pope carefully lays out a scriptural argument for creation care… but also make clear that he’s in no way presenting a case for “neo-paganism or a new pantheism…”
Read more about Pope Benedict’s Caritas in Veritate at the Sundance Channel’s SUNfiltered blog.
Jeff, Interesting. It’s good to hear some green promotion coming from the biggest religious corporation. I think it’s important to frame the issues from within various worldviews. The Similar messages of sustainability could sound completely different to various audiences coming from lefty environmentalists, mainstream politicians, or religious leaders. I even saw that the Vatican installed solar panels!
It’s nice to see the Vatican attempting to enter the 21st Century. Will this push in environmental and social awareness extend to a) acknowledging that birth control and human population containment are crucial steps to living sustainably and b) that equality in our general business behavior will start being mirrored by the Vatican? Women who are barred from being priests would like to know about that…
Too little, too late. The church has already made a name for itself as a grossly out-of-touch authority on any subject, environment included. This is the same organization that blocks contraception in Africa.
One speech with a few good points doesn’t begin to compensate for the multitude of wretched and villainous acts the Catholic Church has committed or condoned, even in the last 50 years.
If the Pope _did_ any of the things he tells everyone else to do (ie. most of us don’t live in a castle, or wear shoes worth more than a sedan), I might start to believe it’s not just marketing.
Ryan, the Catholic Church is not a corporation.
Amber, depends on what you mean by corporation. I hope you know what I mean.
A few notes:
Ryan - the solar panels were donated at a very high claimed cost
Sophia - the pope has agreed with anything but natural (restraint) birth control?
Amber - the Catholic church is nothing more than a very large and very rich religious corporation - with a bunch of old guys running around in dresses running it.
Crosius - agreed 100%
Pope is right,
He can make an impact in the hearts of millions.
The demographic transition in US & EU is chaotic,
with a lot of grey heads on the shoulder of a few infants.
First U will find children as a burdon, then children will see U as a burdon.
Every industrial society is bound to DECLINE like the(2550-1900BC) HARAPPANS(people without worship place).
Inverted population pyramid will cost US&EU if no Asians are there.
Lets at least have the wisdom of forefathers(for those who HAVE)
I think its great that you commented on the Holy Father’s stance on this issue. Unfortunately, the above commentators should really educate themselves on the Catholic Church rather than stereotype it into what the they think the Catholic Church is and stands for. Rather than judge someone or something we should always educate ourselves rather than open our mouths and sound dumb and prejudice.
“Many people hate what they think the Catholic Church is, but very few people actually hate the Catholic Church.”
- Archbishop Fulton Sheen
God Bless,
A “green” and practicing Roman Catholic
In fact the Holy Father is objective,
I am surprised to hear some one saying that the Vatican is attempting to enter the 21st century, because of women priesthood. Vatican-the Catholic Church at large is far, as regards the issue which some are just starting to think about. P’se only try to read and find out the stand of the Catholic Church on that issue from reliable sources.
My Psychology gets disturbed when one fails to understand pope’s view, and forcefully connects it with women priesthood. Who tells you that equality in priesthood is main for our general business behaviour. For, this is exactly being in the footsteps of Martin Luther who who failed to pick up the objective goal of the Church. “Weak minds surely make the body parts especially the legs to suffer”
P’se I request everybody reacting to the message of the Holy Father to mark-”Sustainable development in the broadest sense”. It is NOT “on the narrower sense” thus the individual sense perception.