By Katie Beckmann Mahon, Communications Manager
This week’s “Embracing Faith” article will focus on Embracing Faith through Advocacy.
“A land that God cares for. The eyes of God are always upon it,
from the beginning of the year to the end of the year.”
-Deuteronomy 11:12
Catholics around the world have always had a strong commitment to addressing climate change.
From global campaigns to prayer to education and activism, the Catholic community has been actively working to create solutions.
One of the results of these efforts has been the creation of the Catholic Climate Covenant, an organization dedicated to inspiring and equipping people and institutions to care for creation and care for the poor. (1)
In 2006, the Catholic Climate Covenant was first created to address “growing ecological awareness and the need to implement Catholic social teaching on ecology within the US Church.” (1)
Another notable aspect of the Catholic Climate Covenant is that the organization is “grounded in the Church’s deep history of teaching on creation, ecology, and the poor. Caring for creation and caring for the poor have been a part of the Catholic story since the beginning, but in recent years St. John Paul II, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, and especially Pope Francis have added a sense of urgency to their call for Catholics to act on climate change. The US Bishops themselves having been calling for action since 1981.” (1)
Along with these efforts, the Catholic Climate Covenant hopes to “guide the US Church’s response to the moral call for action on climate change by sharing authentic Catholic teaching on creation and the poor and by informing and inspiring community leaders to take action (education); by sharing stories of those most affected by climate impacts in the public square (public witness); and by providing concrete tools, techniques, and technical assistance to help Catholic peoples and institutions reduce their carbon footprint and to work for justice (resources). Catholic Climate Covenant can help you answer the call to care for creation and the poor through the sharing of Church teaching, our resources, and our programs. Loving God’s creation and God’s most vulnerable is at the heart of who we are as Catholics.” (1)
To learn more about the Catholic Climate Covenant, visit www.catholicclimatecovenant.org.