MANILA, July 25, 2015—The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) on Monday has reminded the Catholic faithful of their Christian obligation to mitigate the effects of climate change and work towards the preservation of the environment for the sake of generations to come.
“Climate change has brought about suffering for nations, communities and peoples…When they who are in need cry out, it is not an option to respond. It is an obligation,” the CBCP said in a statement signed by its president Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas.
Social justice
According to the prelate, it is the duty of every Christian to be concerned with ecological destruction and climate change because every believer is called to be a steward, one who is motivated by charity towards all of creation.
“Caring about climate change and its deleterious and devastating effects on all, but especially on impoverished and struggling nations and communities, is our way of attending to the needs of the least of our brothers and sisters,” the CBCP added.
The bishops added that the destruction of the ecosystem and the harmful disturbance on environmental balance have brought home the point that social justice must necessarily include the faithful’s responsibility for future generations.
Intergenerational solidarity
Stressing the role of humans as stewards of God’s creation, Villegas noted that solidarity among generations is not optional, “but rather a basic question of justice, since the world we have received also belongs to those who will follow us.”
“The notion of the common good also extends to future generations. The global economic crises have made painfully obvious the detrimental effects of disregarding our common destiny, which cannot exclude those who come after us. We can no longer speak of sustainable development apart from intergenerational solidarity,” he added.
“We are not owners of the earth. We are its stewards, to keep and cherish and nurture its resources not only for ourselves but for future generations,” Villegas said.
The prelate said this environmental responsibility can be fulfilled through the collective discernment of Basic Ecclesial Communities, which if done well, can influence policy makers and translate into community action against mining, incineration, and landfills, among many others.
Indescribable misery
For his part, executive secretary of the National Secretariat for Social Action Justice and Peace (CBCP-NASSA) Fr. Edwin Gariguez also called on the faithful to take good care of the environment to win the fight against climate change.
“For the Church, climate change and mining are urgent issues that are clearly related to our Christian responsibility to care for the earth and to care for the poor and vulnerable in our midst,” Gariguez said in his speech during the 37th Annual Conference of the National Justice and Peace Network held at the Swanwick Derbyshire, United Kingdom last July 17 to 19.
He also noted that the social teachings of the Church are at risk of being violated when actions to address the causes of climate change and ecological destruction are not taken.
“Clearly, climate change and its ensuing extreme weather impact is hurting the most vulnerable countries, like the Philippines…Climate change-induced disasters spell indescribable miseries to our people,” Gariguez said.(Jennifer M. Orillaza/CBCPNews)