Preserving nature –
Changing our lifestyle!
Communiqué
to the 2nd World Congress
of
Organizations working for Justice and Peace
(Rome,
November 22-24, 2007)
by
the Justice and Peace Commissions of Albania, Austria, Belgium
(Flanders),
Croatia,
Germany, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain,
Switzerland
and Ukraine
"The progressive development of
peoples is an object of deep interest and concern to the Church. This
is particularly true in the case of those peoples who are trying to
escape the ravages of hunger, poverty, endemic disease and ignorance;
of those who are seeking a larger share in the benefits of civilization
and a more active improvement of their human qualities; of those who
are consciously striving for fuller growth."[1]
That is how the Populorum Progressio
encyclical begins, and we, as Justice and Peace commissions of Europe,
do not wish to ignore this concern, and want, through this reflection,
"to awaken in the People of God full awareness of their mission today.
In this way they can further the progress of poorer nations and
international social justice, as well as help less developed nations to
contribute to their own development"[2].
We observe with great concern how
nature, which God has given man for him to look after, is continuously
being reduced and endangered.
Climate change is the main problem,
but not the only one, which mankind is facing. Not long ago, on 5
September 2007, His Holiness Benedict XVI said in a message to the
participants in the international symposium "The Arctic: mirror of
life", held in Greenland: "Care of water resources and attention to
climate change are matters of grave importance for the entire human
family. Encouraged by the growing recognition of the need to preserve
the environment, I invite all of you to join me in praying and working
for greater respect for the wonders of God's creation!" In the same
way, he told the youth in Loreto on 2 September 2007: "Before it is too
late, it is necessary to make courageous decisions that can recreate a
strong alliance between humankind and the earth. A decisive 'yes' is
needed to protect creation and also a strong commitment to invert those
trends which risk leading to irreversibly degrading situations."
A small part of mankind, among which
we are as inhabitants from rich countries, is contributing to make the
world's problems worse, with our untempered consumer behavior. This
lifestyle does not only harm nature, but also endangers peace in the
world. Indeed under lots of wars and international conflicts lies the
control for resources. Oil, water, forests and essential minerals are
not far from the main focuses of world tensions.
The environmental problems, the
shortage of resources in certain areas, the tensions to get them and
natural catastrophes, many of which avoidable if nature and the rules
holding it were observed, are nowadays the main reason why millions of
people are migrating, trying to find somewhere to live with dignity. In
these massive migrations the poorest are the most vulnerable,
particularly children and old people.
Aware that nature and all within it
has been given to mankind to be managed wisely and justly and that "the
environmental crisis and poverty are connected by a complex and
dramatic set of causes that can be resolved by the principle of the
universal destination of goods, which offers a fundamental moral and
cultural orientation"[3], we urge all good-willed people, especially
all believers to make it a goal to focus all human activities so that
the world can be a better place for us all.
Environmental matters are
everybody's responsibility:
– of the States, which "must
increasingly share responsibility, in complimentary ways, for the
promotion of a natural and social environment that is both peaceful and
healthy"[4]. The richest and most powerful states must not keep holding
the management of the natural resources as if they were only theirs,
and must accept their responsibility in the pollution that their
activities generate.
– of the peoples, that must respect
the legacy of the Earth, received from their ancestors, and keep it and
improve it for the coming generations.
– of every single person on the
Earth, who must consider that all the goods from our Mother Earth must
be shared by everyone of her offspring.
This is why we insist on the
necessary new life style in which hedonism and consumer behavior must
be substituted by service and responsibility for Creation.
Our concern for preserving nature
should make us improve our relation with it: the use of energy, reuse
of materials, reduction of consumption, recycle, share, respect every
way of life, etc. We should not behave as the rich man who used to
leave the beggar Lazarus only the crumbs from his banquet. Rather, we
must share all His goods so that the Creation, the whole Creation,
praises God.
------------------------------------------------
[1] Populorum Progressio, no 1.
[2] Populorum Progressio, no 5.
[3] Compendium of the Social
Doctrine of the Church, no 482.
[4] Message from His Holiness John
Paul II for the World Day for Peace, 1990.
Preserving nature – Changing our
lifestyle! 
Luxemburger Kommission
"Justitia et Pax"
http://www.restena.lu/justpaix