Home / Front Page

Jul 5, 2013

The Light of Faith: Truth for the natural order

"There is an urgent need, then, to see once again that faith is a light, for once the flame of faith dies out, all other lights begin to dim."

"[Faith] illumines the material world, trusts its inherent order and knows that it calls us to an ever widening path of harmony and understanding. The gaze of science thus benefits from faith: faith encourages the scientist to remain constantly open to reality in all its inexhaustible richness. Faith awakens the critical sense by preventing research from being satisfied with its own formulae and helps it to realize that nature is always greater. By stimulating wonder before the profound mystery of creation, faith broadens the horizons of reason to shed greater light on the world which discloses itself to scientific investigation." [Lumen Fidei, Section 34]

What a day in Rome. Pope Francis and Benedict XVI come together to consecrate the Vatican to St. Michael while it is announced that Bl. John Paul II and Bl. John XXIII are on the road to sainthood.

Then there is Lumen Fidei, the much anticipated encyclical on faith. This letter to the Church—begun by Benedict XVI and completed by Pope Francis—is a lofty, profound, tender, and...

Jul 4, 2013

Happy birthday, America—the beautiful

St. Ann Parish in Kosciusko, TX

When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Libertyand the pursuit of Happiness. 

My deacon preached well this morning about the founding of the United States of America—an event rooted in a Christian worldview, as evidenced by the words above from the Declaration of Independence. One wonders...

Jul 1, 2013

How to communicate climate change? With hope.

"The dark door of time, of the future, has been thrown open. The one who has hope lives differently; the one who hopes has been granted the gift of a new life." Pope Benedict XVI. Spe Salvi §2

Last week I took part in three days of training on public policy and the science of climate change. NOAA’s Coastal Services Centerbrought the workshop to Rhode Island with the help of the University of Rhode Island’s Coastal Institute and the Narragansett Bay Estuary Reserve, which is a partnership between NOAA, the Audubon Society of Rhode Island, and my agency.

About three dozen state and local officials took part in a whirlwind of presentations and activities on climate and coastal sciences, policy, and example practices of climate change adaptation. The trainers were wonderful and the networking among the local participants will be invaluable.

Day three of the event focused on communicating climate change. The trainers did an evenhanded job of managing ideological presuppositions among the group, especially when it came to issues of communicating with those who do not “believe”...

Jun 25, 2013

President Obama and future generations

Photo: Flicker.com/By Barack Obama

President Obama gave an important speech today at Georgetown University about climate change and his administration’s plan to deal with it.

Coincidentally, as he spoke I was at the first of a three-day workshop on incorporating climate-change science into government policy—an activity I am involved with as my office is seeking climate-change vulnerability assessments for Rhode Island’s expensive wastewater treatment infrastructure.

Having now read the president’s plan, I wasn’t surprised to find the steps being proposed. They include good steps, and necessary ones. As the president noted in announcing the plan:

The 12 warmest years in recorded history have all come in the last 15 years.  Last year, temperatures in some areas of the ocean reached record highs, and ice...
Jun 15, 2013

Pope Francis: Ponder JP II's Evangelium Vitae

Photo: Flicker/by Bruce MacRae
Pope Francis has asked us to ponder the great 1995 encyclical on life by Bl. John Paul II, Evangelium Vitae—which carried on the thoughts of Paul VI in Humane Vitae.

Evangelium Vitae had much that is important to say to Catholic ecologists, including this important passage:

As one called to till and look after the garden of the world (cf. Gen 2:15), man has a specific responsibility towards the environment in which he lives, towards the creation which God has put at the service of his personal dignity, of his life, not only for the present but also for future generations. It is the ecological question-ranging from the preservation of the natural habitats of the different species of animals and of other forms of life to "human ecology" properly speaking - which finds in the Bible clear and strong ethical direction, leading to a solution which respects the great good of life, of every life. In fact, "the do-minion granted to...
Jun 9, 2013

Tweeting truth: On human life and the "culture of waste"

Pope Francis tweeted yesterday a short statement that has immense implications.

The words followed his General Audience last week, which he used to make his first substantial addition to the magisterial conversation on ecology. In his audience was this statement that echoes the message of his tweet: 

This "culture of waste" tends to become the common mentality that infects everyone. Human life, the person is no longer perceived as a primary value to be respected and protected, especially if poor or disabled, if not yet useful - such as the unborn child - or no longer needed - such as the elderly. 

All of this continues the words of Benedict XVI at the top of this blog.

There is a link, as Benedict XVI put it, between the ecological ills of our age and the more traditionally considered life issues of abortion, embryonic stem-cell research, and euthanasia. Moreover, this link has something to tell us about how to address both problems.

But in order to address either one, we must first deal with unhealthy divisions that...

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

Pope Francis on Pentecost: the gift of the Holy Spirit renews the earth
Vatican Radio
Catholics organize to promote pope’s climate change message
Associated Press
Is Economic Growth the Enemy of Saving the Environment? These Catholics Say No
CNA/EWTN NEWS
Greenbacks and the green economy: Ecology is good business
Catholic News Service
Pope's climate change aide urges business to favor planet over profit
Reuters UK

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.