Msgr. Sorondo (PAS) et al. (2018) describe the importance of health, science, and faith communities coming together to address the global global challenges. Innovative partnerships are essential. The emerging alignment of health professionals, climate scientists, and the faith community is one such partnership. This alignment is based on a great deal of common ground.
Sorondo MMS, Frumkin H, Ramanathan V. Health, Faith, and Science on a Warming Planet. JAMA. 2018;319(16):1651–1652. doi:10.1001/jama.2018.2779
On April 18th Msgr. René Coste (1922-2018) died in Paris. René Coste was priest, theologian and a pioneer of the environmental movement in France and Europe.
"La théologie de l’écologie (…) peut susciter un renouvellement en profondeur de la théologie de la Création." (René Coste, 1991,
Collectif, Sauvegarde et gérance de la Création, Desclée, 290 p.)
Rene was a pioneer in the Catholic Church, integrating the safeguarding of creation and sustainable development into the social teaching of the Church. Already in 1992 he organized a colloquium in Paris adressing the Earth Summit 1992.( René Coste, Jean-Pierre Ribaut: Les nouveaux horizons de l 'ecology - Dans le sillage de Rio. Colloque organized by Pax Christi, Centurion, Paris 1993). Rene Coste was for many years president of Pax Christi France and actively involved in the ecumenical movement for peace, justice and the integrity of creation.
In 1995 he became a founding member of the Francis of Assisi Academy for the Protection of the Earth, Eichstätt. Together with Jean-Pierre Ribaut, the former Environment Director of the Council of Europe, he organized several major interfaith symposia in Klingenthal (Alsace) on all future ecological topics.
Jean-Pierre Ribaut, Marie-José Del Rey (eds): The Earth Under Care: spiritual and cultural approaches to the challenges for a sustainable planet. The Klingenthal Appeal and contributions from the October 1995 Symposium. Paris et Lausanne, June 1997
MORAVIA, COSTA RICA (19.04.2018) — Universities worldwide may be answering a call to become their communities' environmental consciences if they take an active role in an awareness effort launched by the Catholic University of Costa Rica, based on Pope Francis' environmental encyclical, Laudato Si', on Care for Our Common Home." ( by George Rodriguez, National Catholic Reporter (NCR)) External Link
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has sent a letter to participants in the COP-23 UN Convention on climate change, taking place in Bonn, Germany on 6-17 November.
The letter was sent to Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama of the Fiji Islands, which is officially hosting the event, and was read out to COP-23 participants.
Pope Francis congratulated the world leaders present at the COP-23 event and invited them "to maintain a high level of cooperation".
Current worldwide trends are not sustainable. The Club of Rome’s warnings published in the book Limits to Growth are still valid. Remedies that are acceptable for the great majority tend to make things worse. We seem to be in a philosophical crisis. Pope Francis says it clearly: our common home is in deadly danger. Analyzing the philosophical crisis, the book comes to the conclusion that the world may need a “new enlightenment”; one that is not based solely on doctrine, but instead addresses a balance between humans and nature, as well as a balance between markets and the state, and the short versus long term. To do this we need to leave behind working in ”silos” in favor of a more systemic approach that will require us to rethink the organization of science and education.
However, we have to act now; the world cannot wait until 7.6 billion people have struggled to reach a new enlightenment.
"Health must be central to policies that stabilize climate change below dangerous levels, drive zero-carbon as well as zero-air pollution and prevent ecosystem disruptions." (Declaration of the Health of People, Health of Planet and Our Responsibility Climate Change, Air Pollution and Health Workshop)
The Pontifical Academy of Sciences (PAS) has host a workshop November 2-4, 2017 to discuss the relationship between climate change, pollution and people.
According to the Academy website: “We are assembling a meeting of global thought leaders in all these areas, with emphasis on human health to consider the latest evidence and make recommendations to
be submitted directly to Pope Francis and other world leaders for further actions. Experts spanning medicine, public health, air pollution, marine pollution, climate change, food and water security,
ecology, species extinction, renewable energy, and policy should be included. The first two days was devoted to a detailed assessment of the health of people and the ecosystem.
The Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation
(Vatican Radio 01.09.2017) The Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation is being marked today September 1 and has special importance in this its third year.
It is a Joint Message which was released on Friday morning from Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, who for the first time are writing together on Themes of the Day, inviting all the faithful and men of good will to prayer and to reflect on how to live in a simple and solid manner, responsibly using earthly goods.
The Day of Prayer for the Creation of the Creation was instituted by Pope Francis in 2015. The Orthodox Church has commemorated the Day since 1989.
Link: Joint Message
(Vatican Radio 13.07.2017) Following the 2nd anniversary of the publication of his encyclical “Laudato Sì – On Care of our Common Home”, Pope Francis has endorsed a pledge campaign that aims to mobilize at least 1 million people to directly engage in turning the encyclical’s message into action.
The pledge calls on those who sign to answer the call of Laudato Sì by praying with and for creation, living more simply, and advocating to protect our common home.
The "Laudato Sì Pledge campaign" has received support from Church leaders from around the globe including Cardinal Turkson, Cardinal Tagle, Cardinal Ribat, Cardinal Cupich and Cardinal Marx. It has also garnered the support of major environmental leaders.
This campaign will be an ongoing 3-years effort to recruit new supporters and grow the movement with a goal of engaging at least 1 million Catholics with the Laudato Si’ message.
June 1, 2017 WASHINGTON .The Bishops of the United States have regrets President Donald Trump’s decision to pull out of the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement saying his decision “not to honor the U.S. commitment” to the Paris climate deal is “deeply troubling.” In a released shortly after the President’s announcement at the White House, Bishop Oscar Cantu, chairman of the U.S. Bishops’ Committee on International Justice and Peace pointed out that “The Scriptures affirm the value of caring for creation and caring for each other in solidarity”, and that “the Paris agreement is an international accord that promotes these values”. He said that “President Trump’s decision will harm the people of the United States and the world, especially the poorest, most vulnerable communities”. The statement also notes that the impacts of climate change are already being experienced in “sea level rise, glacial melts, intensified storms and more frequent droughts” (Source Radio Vatikan).
Munich 2.06.2017: "Although this decision comes as no surprise, it is a major challenge for climate protection at international level. It erodes the global trust achieved with the agreement of the Paris climate conference. Until the end, we had hoped that the discussions at the G7 and the meeting with Pope Francis would have positively influenced his decision. The Encyclical Laudato Si, offered by Pope Francis to President Trump at their meeting last week, stresses that the weakness of international politics lies in the fact that too many particular interests take precedence over the common good. It is regrettable that this analysis is again confirmed and that global responsibility stops at the borders of a country. The international community should not be discouraged. Europeans in particular have a duty to remain united and to play a leading role in safeguarding creation Source: http://www.comece.eu ".
Catholic Climate Covenant Respond to Paris Withdrawal
We, the member organizations of Catholic Climate Covenant, are deeply disappointed by President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw the United States from the Paris Agreement and stop all future payments to the Green Climate Fund. We i
mplore him to reconsider. The international agreement of 2015 demonstrates that all nations will be impacted by a warming world and that all nations have a corresponding responsibility to limit greenhouse gas pollution causing climate change.
We, the members of Catholic Climate Covenant, believe there is no justification for his decisions and we implore President Trump to reconsider this path. We will continue to raise our voices against climate policies that harm the planet and people while we will advocate for policies that respond to “both the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor” (Laudato Si’ no. 49, emphasis in original).
12.5.2017: In his greetings Hartmut Graßl, President of the Federation of German Scientists (VDW) and a pioneer in climate research said, that he as an Evangelical Lutheran was deeply inspired from the Laudato Si Encyclical. After attending a Laudato Si Symposium at the Catholic University Management School (WFI), he said, that he wish more enthusiasm from Catholic scientists and theologians for Laudato Si. Also, he is worried about the defeatism and the resignation of the young generation of students concerning the ecological crisis. He does not understand that the both Churches in Germany do not use all their power for example to transform the current "animal protection law" in the sense of Laudato Si. Now with the great Laudato Si Encyclical is a new time to act.
All current trends worldwide, whether the steady increase in population or the rise in sea level, are not sustainable. This will be criticized by the "Club of Rome, which is committed to the sustainable future of humanity, in October in a new report entitled" Come on ". Their co-president, Ernst-Ulrich von Weizsäcker, announced this at a discussion session at the Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt. The religions and philosophy were also affected by the overcrowded world, warned von Weizsäcker. Their ideas and doctrines came from a time when growth was not exploding and the world was "empty". Today, with a world population of 7.5 billion people exactly the opposite is the case, said the scientist in Ingolstadt. He pleaded that the increasing productivity of labor and the consumption of natural resources are the focus of economic and political action. The new Clube of Rome report “Come on" will be the result of a "second thunder strike" by the Club of Rome in October. In 1972, the study on "The Limits of Growth" had led to a worldwide survey of the environmental impacts. This year's report is based on Pope Franziskus "Laudato si", according to Weizsäcker. Pope Francis created a "very radical approach" and Laudato Si is a element for the neded "new enlightenment" for mankind.
In his response to the speech of Ernst von Weizsäcker Bishop Losinger, the Chairmen of the Foundation of the Catholic University Eichstätt said, that we are in a survival crisis and the situation is very dangerous because of possible Tipping Points (he cited John Schellnhuber, PAS Academician). For the Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt Laudato Si is a top priority and the university will support the implementation of the Encyclical Laudato Si with strong measures in science, infrastructure and education.
Note: Ernst-Ulrich von Weizsäcker was founding member of the Francis of Assisi Academy for the Protection of Earth, Eichstätt and held his first speech at the Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt 1993 in the 2. Environmental Lectures of the Environment Unit (Umweltreferat) of the Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt.
Links:
Laudato Si Project Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt
Federation of German Scientists (VDW)
1.05.2017: The Planetary Health Inaugural Meeting was held April 28-30, 2017 in Boston at the Harvard Medical School with more than 370 attendees from 25 countries, including students (nearly half the attendees!), research scientists, educators, policy makers, and committed stakeholders. Already in his opening remarks Jonathan PATZ, Director of the Global Health Institute at the University of Wisconsin, pointed out the relevance of the Encyclical Laudato Si and Pope Francis initiatives for planetary health. Also, Philip J. LANDRIGAN, Professor of Environmental Medicine and Pediatrics and Dean for Global Health in the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai mentioned the relevance of Laudato Si and Pope Francis for planetary health. The new Planetary Health Alliance will cooperate with members of faith communities.
The Francis of Assisi Academy for the Protection of the Earth was represented through his Executive Secretary Ralf K. STAPPEN. Together with the International Academy of Science, Munich the Francis of Assisi Academy realized a research project concerning education, capacity building and epistemology of Terra Medicine at the Catholic University Eichstätt-Ingolstadt, which is an early and similar approach to Planetary Health /Geohealth.
Watch Recordings: The complete video of the Inaugural Planetary Health / GeoHealth Annual Meeting is freely available online.
Planetary Health Alliance (PHA)
Internal News
4.10.2016. Welcome to the relaunched Laudato Si Website of the Francis of Assisi Academy for the Protection of the Earth.
Assisi-Peace-Appeal
Time of Creation 2016
Please find attached the joint statement of ECEN, CEC and CCEE in view of Creation time 2016.