Three decades of papal messages: Respect life, respect creation

As we have just marked another Respect Life Month in October, we should remember the words that Saint John Paul II addressed to the nations in his World Day of Peace Message on Jan. 1, 1990.

Titled “Peace with God the Creator, Peace with All of Creation,” the message was a plea to respect nature. As the pope wrote at the conclusion of his statement, “I should like to address directly my brothers and sisters in the Catholic Church, in order to remind them of their serious obligation to care for all of creation. The commitment of believers to a healthy environment for everyone stems directly from their belief in God the Creator.  ... Respect for life and for the dignity of the human person extends also to the rest of creation, which is called to join man in praising God (cf. Ps 148:96).”

Re-read that last line: “Respect for life and for the dignity of the human person extends also to the rest of creation”

To insure people got his point, the pope spoke directly to issues related to climate change. “The gradual depletion of the ozone layer and the related ‘greenhouse effect’ has now reached crisis proportions as a consequence of industrial growth, massive urban concentrations and vastly increased energy needs. Industrial waste, the burning of fossil fuels, unrestricted deforestation, the use of certain types of herbicides, coolants and propellants: all of these are known to harm the atmosphere and environment. The resulting meteorological and atmospheric changes range from damage to health to the possible future submersion of low-lying lands.”

Twenty years later, in 2010, Pope Benedict XVI delivered a similar World Day of Peace Message. It was titled, “If You Want to Cultivate Peace, Protect Creation.” He asked, “Can we remain indifferent before the problems associated with such realities as climate change, desertification, the deterioration and loss of productivity in vast agricultural areas, the pollution of rivers and aquifers, the loss of biodiversity, the increase of natural catastrophes and the deforestation of equatorial and tropical regions?”

Then he provided an answer to his question. “A greater sense of intergenerational solidarity is urgently needed. Future generations cannot be saddled with the cost of our use of common environmental resources. ... The Church has a responsibility toward creation, and she considers it her duty to exercise that responsibility in public life, in order to protect earth, water and air as gifts of God the Creator meant for everyone, and above all to save mankind from the danger of self-destruction.”

Today, we are experiencing the results of our failure to heed their message. According to NASA, the effects that scientists had predicted are occurring now: loss of sea ice, accelerated sea level rise and longer, more intense heat waves. We see that glaciers are shrinking, animal habitats have shifted, and droughts are spreading across America.

Pope Francis’ encyclical on the care of creation, Laudato Si’, also stressed the need to address the threats of climate change.

The question is, “Are we ready to do the work necessary to halt it?” If we are true to our faith, we must be.

Ayres is the director of Catholic Charities’ Commission on Peace and Justice.