Catholic Social Teaching and Care for Creation
Submitted by Marguerite Thompson
The three types of actions people can take to care for creation: Personal—Societal—Vision-based
These are like the three types of relationships Christians have – with the earth, with their neighbor, and with God. We must take all 3 types of actions. Personal action includes reducing our energy use, food waste, and water waste. Societal action includes advocating for policies that protect God’s creation and investing in renewable energy. Vision-based action includes setting goals to stop burning fossil fuels and creating mitigation plans to protect the most vulnerable among us.
“We are not faced with two separate crises, one environmental and the other social, but rather one complex crisis which is both social and environmental. Strategies for a solution demand an integrated approach to combating poverty, restoring dignity to the underprivileged, and at the same time protecting nature.”
– Pope Francis