Climate Challenge Prayer

God, Creator and Sustainer,
free us from ignorance about your gift of Earth.
Inspire us to act together in respect for your gift and change our ways as we
relate to Earth's rhythms with humility.
May we welcome the truth when scientists speak of climate change, and
reject false pathways designed to confuse.
At this point in history, help us to urge our politicians to take moral decisions and urgent action in negotiating sustainable living.
Ground all our thoughts in your revealing Scriptures and the wisdom of holy women and men who have gone before us to help build the
new creation as followers of your Cosmic Son.
Give us a discerning spirit to work with the ecological and the human,
the social and the economic realities of this world, and instill in us a spirit of respect and compassion able to imagine pathways of harmony.
Amen.


Prepared by Fr Charles Rue
Coordinator Columban JPIC Australia

Scottish eco-congregations flourish

Ekklesia reports that "eco-congregations" are booming in the UK and particularly in Scotland.

In Scotland there are currently 172, with a total of 270 in England.

But given the small population of Scotland, this represents "a huge level of commitment in Scotland", Ekklesia says.

The term ‘eco-congregation’ is awarded to churches that have made a commitment to address environmental issues systemically through worship, programmes, the management of church property, outreach and community action.

Save the Earth: Kalimantan bishops

Catholic bishops in Indonesia's Kalimantan province on Borneo island have issued a pastoral letter warning that "destruction and damage to the environment has become a big concern because it threatens the continuity of life on earth", UCAN reports.

The bishops' letter, Save Our Earth from Destruction, also warns that "forest fires, excessive mining, conversion of forests into farmland and accumulation of trash in densely populated areas have brought an "increase in water, land and air pollution".

The bishops call on the government and all people to help preserve the environment by stopping illegal logging and by planting trees. They also encourage parents and educators to instill a love for Creation in children from an early age.

"None of us can deal with this serious problem alone," they acknowledge. "Nonetheless we must do what we can because we are part of this earth."

Local Catholics say their parish priests and parish pastoral councils are now discussing what kinds of trees they will plant in their respective areas, UCAN says.

Christian responsibility to fight climate change: IPPC co-chair

Sir John T. Houghton, who is the co-chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and was the lead editor of the first three IPCC reports, argues that it is a Christian responsibility to fight climate change in this impressive article.

"People often say to me that I am wasting my time talking about environmental sustainability," Houghton notes. "‘The world’ they say ‘will never agree to take the necessary action’."

"I reply that I am optimistic for three reasons. First, I have experienced the commitment of the world scientific community... Secondly, I believe the necessary technology is available... My third reason is that I believe we have a God-given task of being good stewards of creation.

"According to Scripture only human beings were made in the divine image (Gen. 1:26-27). This has sometimes been taken to mean that we are superior and are thus free to lord it over all other creatures. What it should be taken to mean is that we resemble God in some unique ways, such as our rational, moral, relational, and creative capacity.

"It also points to our unique ability to image God’s loving care for the world and to relate intimately to God. And it certainly points to our unique planetary responsibility," Houghton says.

"Being made in God’s image is primarily a mandate to serve the rest of creation (Mk 10:42-45)," he insists.

Christian churches could therefore play "a key role in the propagation of new attitudes" to the environment, he argues.

"Christian communities in the world should rise to the challenge, take the high ground and demonstrate Christian stewardship in effective action. A particular imperative is to express our care for God’s creation, our love for God and our neighbor (wherever he may be) by leading the way in more equitable sharing of the world’s resources.

Houghton also highlights the things that all of us can do, such as choosing fuel efficient appliances and cars, purchasing green energy, using public transportation and sharing cars.

" To quote from Edmund Burke, a British parliamentarian of 200 years ago, ‘No one made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do so little'", he says.

Concluding, Sir John draws attention to "the symbol of the Celtic Cross, the cross of Jesus surrounded by a circle denoting the world, illustrating that the redemption Jesus accomplished includes not only humans but the whole of creation".

"The challenge to all of us is unmistakable and daunting. But we also have the assurance that we do not have to act on our own. As God walked with Adam and Eve in the garden in the Genesis story, so he will come alongside us to help us as we seek to do his work here on earth."

Pope's water expert says climate change is real

Catholic News Service reports that Pope Benedict has appointed Venezuelan born Princeton Professor Ignacio Rodriguez-Iturbe, who was awarded the Stockholm Water Prize in 2002, to the Pontifical Academy of Science.

Professor Rodriguez-Turbe is an internationally recognised hydrologist whose work has focused on measuring and predicting long-term cycles of flooding and drought, as well as the most efficient means for distributing water.

The National Catholic Reporter's John Allen quotes Rodríguez-Iturbe as saying he regards his appointment to the prestigious Academy of Sciences, with roughly one-third of its members Nobel laureates, as "a sign of the interest of the Holy Father and the academy in getting more and more involved in environmental issues".

“From a scientific point of view, there is overwhelming evidence of serious anthropogenic impact related to global warming,” Rodríguez-Iturbe said. “This implies an enormous responsibility with regard to the consequences for peace and prosperity for the world, and for future generations.”

“I do not share the view of those who say we should keep out of it,” he told Allen. “If we accept the science, if we believe [global warming] is here and that human activity is a leading cause, then the church, the Vatican, should be involved.”

Allen adds that Rodriguez-Iturbe is encouraged by Pope Benedict’s growing advocacy of sustainable development, especially as it relates to his own interest in water, which he described as “a keystone to human survival and development.”

Interestingly, Rodriguez-Iturbe is also a member of Opus Dei, belying that organisation's media reputation for conservatism.

Wake up and take a lead: British Anglican bishop

Wolverhampton Anglican Bishop Clive Gregory has published a pastoral letter to his Lichfield diocese in which he warns of environmental "catastrophe" but also says that there is still time to respond.

Quoting St Paul he says that it is time to "wake from sleep".

"Who should be the most committed environmentalists?" he asks.

"Those whose vocation is to be stewards of God's wonderful creation."

Big plans for Jesuits on environment

Catholic religious order, the Jesuits, are about to hold their General Congregation which is in effect a worldwide council of all their members where they will also elect a new "general" to replace the retiring Fr Peter-Hans Kolvenbach, the National Catholic Reporter says.

The Congregation will also set the direction for the Jesuits in coming years. It will discuss 262 "postulates" or proposals. Of these 42 concern justice issues and another 41 deal with environmental questions.

Let's keep an eye on reports from the Congregation over the next few weeks.

Eco-monks and Redwood rabbis

The United Nations has announced a partnership with the Alliance for Religions and Conservation, according to a report in the Toronto Star.

The Star says that a group of environmentally concerned Jewish leaders in California, known as the "Redwood Rabbis," has successfully fought to preserve more than 2,000 hectares of redwood forest.

Meanwhile, "Thai Ecology Monks" have helped launch a ritual blessing of the Nan River, which has led to the creation of nine fish sanctuaries.

And in Yemen, the Islamic Federation for Ecology and Environmental Sciences has organised a water conservation program based on Islamic principles.

Sober lifestyles needed for sustainable development: Pope Benedict

Pope Benedict has again called on people to adopt more moderate lifestyles in order to ensure a fairer distribution of wealth and to reduce pressure on resources, the International Herald Tribune reports.

"One cannot say that globalisation is synonymous with world order — it's the opposite," Benedict said in his homily in Rome today.

"The conflicts for economic supremacy, and the scramble for energy and water resources and raw materials render difficult the work of all those who strive to construct a more just and united world," he continued.

"We need a greater hope, which allows us to prefer the common good of all to the luxury of few and the poverty of many."

"By now it is obvious that only by adopting a sober lifestyle, accompanied by a serious commitment to a fair distribution of wealth, will it be possible to install a just and sustainable model of development," Benedict said.

Explaining the pope's comments, Vatican spokesman Fr Federico Lombardi added that until recently, "environmental issues seemed the concern of the rich rather than of the poor, of developed countries rather than of more backward ones for which economic development was instead the priority."

"Now, frequent disasters due to environmental imbalances hit hard those who have few resources to defend themselves," he said. "Today, humanity fears for its future ecological balance, and to this observation, the pope links a strong moral call to solidarity," Lombardi said.

Anglican church chief slams ungodly waste

The primate of the Anglican communion, Canterbury Archbishop Rowan Williams has taken "God doesn't do waste" as the theme for his New Year's message.

"Despite constant talk about recycling and thinking 'green', we're still a society that produces fantastic quantities of waste," Archbishop Williams says.

"Look at the number of plastic bags flapping around by the roadside, in town and country alike and you see what I mean.

"In a society where we think of so many things as disposable; where we expect to be constantly discarding last year's gadget and replacing it with this year's model, do we end up tempted to think of people and relationships as disposable?

"Are we so fixated on keeping up with change that we lose any sense of our need for stability?"

Ekklesia reports that Dr Williams, who is also spiritual head of the 78 million strong worldwide Anglican Communion, says that those who have learned to discard rubbish and materials too easily are likely to do the same to people and relationships.

The archbishop's New Year message is filmed both in Canterbury Cathedral and at a nearby recycling centre, where he stresses his concern for the environment and the emphasises the moral and religious necessity of protecting it.

Dr Williams says that short-term exploitation of the earth's resources which produces fantastic quantities of waste has implications for other areas of life.

"A lot of the time, we just don't let ourselves think about the future with realism," he continued.

"A culture of vast material waste and emotional short-termism is a culture that is a lot more fragile than it knows.

"How much investment are we going to make in a safer and more balanced future?" he asked.

Dr Williams is also making his message available on YouTube as well as BBC television.

The Archbishop adds that "[God] doesn't regard anyone as a 'waste of space', as not worth his time - from the very beginnings of life to its end, whether they are successful, articulate, productive or not".

He concludes: "A life that communicates a bit of what God is like is a life that doesn't give up."

Green theme for Pope's Midnight Mass

Once again Pope Benedict has returned to a green theme in his homily at this year's Midnight Mass at St Peter's.

Zenit reports that the pope cited an image from St Gregory of Nyssa in his Christmas Midnight Mass homily.

The stable in Bethlehem, the pope said, represents our "ill-treated world," polluted especially due to the abuse of energy and its exploitation.

Referring to John 1:14 -- "He pitched his tent among us" -- Benedict said that "Gregory applies this passage about the tent to the tent of our body, which has become worn out and weak, exposed everywhere to pain and suffering. And he applies it to the whole universe, torn and disfigured by sin. What would he say if he could see the state of the world today, through the abuse of energy and its selfish and reckless exploitation?

"Thus, according to Gregory's vision, the stable in the Christmas message represents the ill-treated world. What Christ rebuilds is no ordinary palace. He came to restore beauty and dignity to creation, to the universe: This is what began at Christmas and makes the angels rejoice. The earth is restored to good order by virtue of the fact that it is opened up to God, it obtains its true light anew, and in the harmony between human will and divine will, in the unification of height and depth, it regains its beauty and dignity. Thus Christmas is a feast of restored creation."

Green Fundraising for a Green World Youth Day--possible?

After almost two months of my stay here in Australia, I still can't do away with converting Australian dollars to my own currency in the Philippines. Either I end up not buying at all or I fall on a guilt trip afterward. Yes, everything out here in the land 'down under' is big.I came over here to help organize the next YPD training session in 2008 and to do something different. However, I still worry about the immense budget that the program will have. As to the big program in Sydney, I close my eyes and force myself to think of other things other than the onerous amount involved at such a gathering. The encounters made among different cultures, experiences, faiths, and ages is not quantifiable. But, drawing closer to the issue on climate change, I take a different stance and take a pledge to be creative in tackling the whole thing.Meetings, endless trainings and reflections were held in the preparation for next year. Most of it will touch on monetary concerns. Positively, we say that things will be all right. We bank on the generousity of people. We bank on the enthusiasm of the world to 'hop down under'. Still, the onerous requirement for those days loom into the picture.What have I done so far? What have we done so far? We push for the eco-solidarity thinking and look at carbon credits for the World Youth Day to move at a smoother pace. At the local level, we strive hard to put green actions and fund raising together. We just successfully launched the "Walk to church" campaign. Those that brought their cars were 'fined' a dollar for the Green World Youth Day program. We raised around $ 400 out of it. We are selling native plants in thanksgiving to the parishioners. I still feel inadequate with all the initiatives. Still, I dream of having a green fundraising for a greener world youth day.