Response to Bishops of England and Wales Letter on Environment

Image by Gustavo Guepon on Unsplash

Laudato Si Animator, Virginia Bell, writes this personal view..

The eagerly awaited Statement on the Environment from our bishops has been released. It is to be read out in churches on Pentecost Sunday, 23rd May 2021.

You should all hear it soon, and you can read it here.

The main question is, will it inspire Catholics to re-consider their lifestyle practices and the effect these have on the natural environment and on our fellow humans and our fellow creatures?

There are positive aspects of this Letter which we can be happy about. One is that it is to be read out in all of our parish churches. This is something that should be celebrated.

This Pentecost will be the first time that some Catholics will be taught by our leaders that our treatment of the environment and of other creatures is an integral part of our Christianity. After centuries of almost no mention during Mass of our Christian duty towards the natural environment and towards our fellow creatures, this Letter deserves to be welcomed and embraced.

Another positive aspect is that the Letter explains that creation, being intricately part of God's purpose, must be put firmly into the focus of our conscious decisions and behaviour choices. In other words, we should care about creation not only because of the effect we have on others, but also because creation matters to God.

The Letter points out that the situation is urgent, with damage continually being inflicted on the earth. The bishops admit that people have been ignorant about or ignored the systematic exploitation of our planet and the unsustainable consumption of its resources, and they encourage a new economic model of considering the sustainability of our businesses and activities before accepting and promoting them.

The old model that the Church followed was to accept and promote what was being done to gain a livelihood, whether sustainable or not. At least that is how I saw it.

The Bishops encourage all of us to make a contribution to restoring our common home, motivating us by noting how do-able many lifestyle changes are, not just for us as individuals but also as parishes. This mention of parishes will bring the matter nearer to the notice of priests, whom one hopes will henceforth look more favourably on parishioners who want to establish a parish green team and a parish Environment Policy.

The bishops bring attention to those two crucial Summits this year, G7 and COP26. The preservation of the world is, to a large degree, in the hands of the participating countries. They must be made to commit to sustainable policies in all aspects of human activities on earth. So this highlighting of the two Summits is laudable.

I am very happy that an episcopal Letter focusing on the environment is to be read out at Mass in all our parishes. But could more have been said? I think so.

I feel that there are some negative aspects to this Letter. The bishops should have taken this opportunity to encourage priests and parishioners to set up green teams in the parish. Loads of actions could flow from such groups. What better way to ensure that parishes commit to becoming sustainable? What better way to engage in making contributions to restoring our common home, which the Letter calls for? This practical action of setting up a parish green team should have been specifically encouraged. Unfortunately, the fact that it wasn't mentioned may make some doubt how determined the bishops really are to see change take place at grass roots level.

There should also have been mention of Environmental Policies (EPs). EPs would naturally follow from parish green teams, and would be the cement for parish aspirations. The bishops could have said that Diocesan EPs are being developed, and that parishes are expected to develop their own, using their Diocesan one for reference.

Another disappointment is that when referring to G7 and COP26, the bishops did not urge us all to write to the Government demanding sustainable policies and zero carbon. These Summits provide us with an opportunity to lobby for action to combat environmental degradation.

Finally, the Letter seems completely human centric. There is no mention of the millions of species that we share the world with, all of which are loved by God and all of which have a place in the ecosystem of Earth. We are asked to recognise our common responsibility for the dignity of all people: what about all creatures? The bishops remind us that the world is a precious gift to us: isn't it also a precious gift to all creatures? The bishops speak of "the damage that continues to be inflicted on the Earth, and the repercussions for the well-being of our brothers and sisters, both here in our own countries and, more especially, in the poorest countries of our world": that damage is also felt by millions of creatures who have been burned alive in forest fires and displaced from their natural habitats to their deaths because of cash crop farming.

The Vatican's overview of the Encyclical Laudato Si ends with:

"After Laudato Si', the regular practice of an examination of conscience, the means that the Church has always recommended to orient one's life in light of the relationship with the Lord, should include a new dimension, considering not only how one has lived communion with God, with others and with oneself, but also with all creatures and with nature." June 2015.

This is the same Encyclical which has prompted the Church's concern for the natural environment, and which has prompted the bishops' Pentecostal Pastoral Letter. But there is obviously some way to go before the bishops are fully converted to the ecological spirituality of the Encyclical.

I think the bishops deserve praise and thanks for the effort that they have put into seeing the world in the terms of Laudato Si, even if not yet perfectly. And I hope that they will take on board any feedback they get.