Sister Earth

Pope Applauds Montreal Protocol on 20th Anniversary

Benedict XVI Pleads for Protection of Creation
Asks That Cooperation Intensify

CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy, SEPT. 16, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI again reiterated his plea that an alliance be re-created between humanity and the environment, urging that cooperation intensity in the promotion of the common good.

The Pope made his appeal today, noting the 20th anniversary of the Montreal Protocol, adopted in that Canadian city on Sept. 16, 1987.

Addressing the faithful gathered in the courtyard of the papal summer residence at Castel Gandolfo for the praying of the Angelus, the Holy Father spoke about the anniversary of the document on "the substances that deplete the ozone layer, causing grave damage for human beings and the ecosystem."

Cardinal McCarrick: “This is a holy place because this is God's work”

Cardinal McCarrick Urges Rescuing Planet

NARSARSUAQ, Greenland, SEPT. 12, 2007 (Zenit.org).- The beauty of God's creation is being destroyed, and people of all faiths need to work together to stop the destruction, says Cardinal Theodore McCarrick.

The retired archbishop of Washington, D.C., spoke Tuesday with Vatican Radio about the need to protect the environment. His comments came as he participated in the seventh symposium organized by the nongovernmental organization Religion, Science and the Environment, which ended today.

The symposium was held under the patronage of Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew I and gathered religious and social leaders in Greenland.

Pope Benedict XVI: Celebrate Creation Every Sunday

Because Sunday is ultimately about encountering the risen Christ in word and sacrament, its span extends through the whole of reality. The early Christians celebrated the first day of the week as the Lord's day, because it was the day of the resurrection. Yet very soon, the Church also came to realize that the first day of the week is the day of the dawning of creation, the day on which God said: "Let there be light" (Gen 1:3). Therefore Sunday is also the Church's weekly feast of creation -- the feast of thanksgiving and joy over God's creation. At a time when creation seems to be endangered in so many ways through human activity, we should consciously advert to this dimension of Sunday too. Then, for the early Church, the first day increasingly assimilated the traditional meaning of the seventh day, the Sabbath. We participate in God's rest, which embraces all of humanity. Thus we sense on this day something of the freedom and equality of all God's creatures.

—Pope Benedict XVI, Homily, Vienna, Sept. 9, 2007

The Arctic: Mirror of Life

Religion, Science and the Environment, an NGO established by Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew I, opens its seventh symposium on September 6th. Titled "The Arctic: Mirror of Life," the focus of this year's symposium is climate change, its effects on polar regions, and what that means, locally and globally, to both humans and ecosystems.

The physical and biological impacts of a warmer climate on Arctic ecosystems will be tremendous, affecting nearly all marine- and land-based wildlife species. Even a few degrees increase in seawater temperature will affect the Arctic marine ecosystem in many ways. Warmer temperatures will lead to increased biological productivity at the lower parts of the marine ecosystem. Reductions in sea ice will drastically shrink marine habitat for polar bears, ice-inhabiting seals, and some seabirds, pushing some species toward extinction. Caribou, reindeer and other land animals are likely to be increasingly stressed as climate change alters their access to food sources, breeding grounds, and migratory routes.

Pope Benedict XVI on Creation Day 2007

To follow Christ, dear young people, also involves a constant effort to contribute to building a society that is more just and fraternal, in which everyone can enjoy the goods of the earth. I know that many of you have dedicated yourselves generously to testifying to your faith in various social fields, working as volunteers, for the promotion of the common good, peace and justice in every community.

One of the fields in which it is urgent to work is most definitely that of safeguarding creation. The new generations are responsible for the future of the planet, which shows evident signs of a development that has not always known to preserve the delicate balances of nature. Before it is too late, we must make courageous choices with a view to a strong alliance between man and the earth.