Home / Front Page

Feb 9, 2014

By the Books: Christiana Z. Peppard's Just Water. Part 1

Part 1 │ Part 2 │ Part 3

I was delighed to hear of the new book by Dr. Christiana Z. Peppard, Just Water: Theology, Ethics, and the Global Water Crisis. Given my professional work in a regulatory agency for statewide water resources, I immediately ordered the book and asked Dr. Peppard for an interview, which she graciously agreed to.

What follows is the first of an informative and thought-provoking three-part interview about the book and the many issues involved with clean water. The remainder of the interview will be posted over the next two days.

First, a little about the author of Just Water.

Dr. Peppard is an Assistant Professor of Theology, Science, and Ethics at Fordham University, where she is also affiliated faculty in American Studies and Environmental Policy. She received her B.A. in Human Biology from Stanford University, M.A. in Ethics from Yale Divinity School, and Ph.D. in Religious Ethics from Yale University.

...
Feb 5, 2014

What is the UN thinking?

There was big news today about the United Nations' report on sexual abuse within the Catholic Church and its handling—and often mishandling—of the matter in areas across the globe.

Had the UN stuck to that subject, it could have done us all a favor. The reality of sexual abuse in any setting is serious—I have seen from loved ones something of the toll it can take. For Catholics the subject is especially upsetting given that members of the Church succumbed to the same ills as we find elsewhere.

But the UN personnel that chastised the Church weren't content with the issue at hand. They had to use the opportunity to preach to the Church about Catholic teachings on abortion and artificial birth control.

The entire matter, including the Church’s official response, is chronicled at Catholic World Report. What I’d add here is this: the United Nations is a rather important entity for the coordination and encouragement of global ecological awareness and responses. For Catholics engaged in environmental protection, today’s attack by the UN over sacred issues of life have damaged the...

Feb 2, 2014

Vatican sustainability conference update: A need for moral authority

Many thanks to Professor Veerabhadran Ramanathan of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences for sharing his thoughts on an upcoming Vatican conference on sustainable lifestyles.

Dr. Ramanathan is co-organizer of "Sustainable Humanity, Sustainable Nature: Our Responsibility,” which will be held at the Vatican May 2nd through the 6th. The event is jointly sponsored by the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences.

This unique conversation between the natural and social sciences is also being chaired by Archbishop (and noted professor) Roland Minnerath and Dr. Partha Sarathi Dasgupta. Some fifty noted researches in a variety of fields will be presenting. More information, including a listing of participants, is in the conference booklet.

Dr. Veerabhadran Ramanathan Photo: http://www-ramanathan.ucsd.edu/
...
Jan 25, 2014

Seven things to know about Francis's planned eco-encyclical

As mentioned in the top ten eco-stories of 2013, there have been rumors of an environmental encyclical. On Friday the Vatican confirmed the rumors. And so now there’s lots of talk about what will be in it.

For clues, we look to Francis’s first major statement on ecology: his June 5th General Audience. In a handful of paragraphs Francis outlined his concerns as well as how they relate to others. Given that, what might a Pope Francis eco-encyclical look like?

Here’s what we know so far:

1. From yesterday's announcement, the document will be rooted in the John Paul II and Benedict XVI concept of “human ecology.”

(Vatican Radio) The Director of the Holy See Press Office, Father Federico Lombardi, S.J., confirmed on Friday that Pope Francis has begun work on a draft text on the topic of ecology, which could become an encyclical. But, Father Lombardi said, the project is in an early stage, so it is too early to make any prediction about the timing of possible publication.
Father Lombardi said it is important to note that Pope Francis intends to put particular emphasis on the...
Jan 13, 2014

Pope Francis to diplomats: build peace by protecting life, nature

Photo: Flicker/Catholic Church (England and Wales)

At today’s gathering with the Vatican diplomatic corps for the annual “State of the World” address, Pope Francis continued to confound pundits who seek to box him in this or that worldly ideological box.

As with his predecessors, Francis sounded the alarm on a wide range of present-day ills—including a growing culture of disposability “which demeans the person, disrupts the environment, and damages society,” as Benedict XVI put it when speaking of the link between the human person and the environment.

Francis put it this way:  

Peace is also threatened by every denial of human dignity, firstly the lack of access to adequate nutrition. We cannot be indifferent to those suffering from hunger, especially children, when we think of how much food is wasted every day in many parts of the...
Jan 7, 2014

If the United States is frozen, is climate change a hoax?

Chicago waits out the "polar vortex."  Photo: Flicker/akasped


By now you’re aware of the deadly cold that has spread across much of North America. (As I type it’s 8 degrees Fahrenheit outside my window. It was seven below zero a few nights ago. Much of the heartland has seen double-digit negatives.) This peculiar weather is not only inconvenient and uncomfortable for those with the means to stay warm, it is devastating for the homeless and for those who cannot afford to heat their homes.

In any event, a few critics of anthropogenic climate change are whooping it up. If it’s this cold, there can be no global warming. Right?

Well, not exactly.

First, let’s look at what is happening with this “polar vortex.” The Weather Channel website has a nice overview on the matter, including this passage:

One of several semi-permanent weather systems over the Earth, the polar vortex is an area of low pressure in the upper atmosphere, primarily in the stratosphere, the layer of...

Pages

Subscribe to

If you like Catholic Ecology,
you’ll love…

A Printer's Choice

The sci-fi novel with a Catholic twist.

A Printer's Choice

Learn more

In the News

Infallible? Informal? How binding is the new encyclical on Catholics?
Catholic News Agency
Have a family, grow a garden, be holy – conclusions from Laudato Si
Catholic News Agency
Cardinal Turkson: Pope’s Encyclical Doesn’t Bash Business, Only When It’s Under Influence of Sin
Zenit News
Editorial: Pope Francis' preferential option for the planet
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Environmental expert: The encyclical is a call to attention for the powerful
Rome Reports

About the Blog

Catholic Ecology posts my regular column in the Rhode Island Catholic, as well as scientific and theological commentary about the latest eco-news, both within and outside of the Catholic Church. What is contained herein is but one person's attempt to teach and defend the Church's teachings - ecological and otherwise. As such, I offer all contents of this blog for approval of the bishops of the Church. It is my hope that nothing herein will lead anyone astray from truth.