JUSTICE IN THE
WORLDThe Roman pontiff makes use of the departments of the Roman Curia which perform their duties in his name and with his authority for the good of the churches and in the service of the sacred pastors. The Roman Curia includes the Secretariat of State, Congregations, Tribunals, Pontifical Councils, Synod of Bishops, and Pontifical Commissions.
JUSTICE IN THE
WORLD(Extracts)
MOREOVER, men are beginning to grasp a new and more radical dimension of unity; they perceive that their resources, as well as the precious treasures of air and water -- without which there cannot be life -- and the small delicate biosphere of the whole complex of all life on earth, are not infinite, but on the contrary must be saved and preserved as a unique patrimony belonging to all mankind (Chapter I, Para. 2).
FURTHERMORE, such is the demand for resources and energy by the richer nations, whether capitalist or socialist, and such are the effects of dumping by them in the atmosphere and sea that irreparable damage would be done to the essential elements of life on earth, such as air and water, if their high rates of consumption and pollution, which are constantly on the increase, were extended to the whole of mankind (Chapter I, Para. 4 ).
THE STRONG DRIVE towards global unity, the unequal distribution which places decisions concerning three quarters of income, investment, and trade in the hands of one third of the human race, namely the more highly developed part, the insufficiency of a merely economic progress and the new recognition of the material limits of the biosphere -- all this makes us aware of the fact that in today's world new modes of understanding human dignity are arising (Chapter I, Para. 5).
WE CONSIDER THAT we must also stress the new world-wide preoccupation which will be dealt with for the first time in the conference on human environment to be held in Stockholm in June 1972. It is impossible to see what right the richer nations have to keep up their claim to increase their own material demands, if the consequences is either that others remain in misery or that the danger of destroying the very physical foundations of life on earth is precipitated. Those who are already rich are bound to accept a less material way of life, with less waste, in order to avoid the destruction of the heritage which they are obliged by absolute justice to share with all other members of the human race (Chapter III, Para. 25).
36. Christ, becoming obedient even unto death and because of this exalted by the Father, entered into the glory of His kingdom. To Him all things are made subject until He subjects Himself and all created things to the Father that God may be all in all. Now Christ has communicated this royal power to His disciples that they might be constituted in royal freedom and that by true penance and a holy life they might conquer the reign of sin in themselves. Further, He has shared this power so that serving Christ in their fellow men they might by humility and patience lead their brethren to that King for whom to serve is to reign. But the Lord wishes to spread His kingdom also by means of the laity, namely, a kingdom of truth and life, a kingdom of holiness and grace, a kingdom of justice, love, and peace. In this kingdom creation itself will be delivered from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the sons of God. Clearly then a great promise and a great trust is committed to the disciples: "All things are yours, and your are Christ's, and Christ is God's".
The faithful, therefore, must learn the deepest meaning and the value of all creation, as well as its role in the harmonious praise of God. They must assist each other to live holier lives even in their daily occupations. In this way the world may be permeated by the spirit of Christ and it may more effectively fulfill its purpose in justice, charity, and peace. The laity have the principal role in the overall fulfillment of this duty. Therefore, by their competence in secular training and by their activity, elevated from within by the grace of Christ, let them vigorously contribute their effort, so that created goods may be perfected by human labor, technical skill, and civic culture for the benefit of all men according to the design of the Creator and the light of His Word. May the goods of this world be more equitably distributed among all men, and may they in their own way be conducive to universal progress in human and Christian freedom. In this manner, through the members of the Church, will Christ progressively illumine the whole of human society with His saving light.
41. ...Finally, those who engage in labor -- and frequently it is of a heavy nature -- should better themselves by their human labors. They should be of aid to their fellow citizens. They should raise all of society, and even creation itself, to a better mode of existence....
48. ...The Church, to which we are all called in Christ Jesus, and in which we acquire sanctity through the grace of God, will attain its full perfection only in the glory of heaven, when there will come the time of the restoration of all things. At that time the human race as well as the entire world, which is intimately related to man and attains to its end through him, will be perfectly reestablished in Christ....
-Lumen Gentium, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, November 21, 1964, Nos. 36, 42, 48
PONTIFICAL COUNCIL FOR
JUSTICE AND PEACEThe first page of the Bible tells of the creation of the world and of the human person: "God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them" (Gen 1:27). Solemn words describe the task that God entrusts to them: "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth" (Gen 1:28).
The first task that God gives them — clearly a fundamental one — concerns the attitude that they should have toward the earth and all creatures. "Subdue" and "have dominion" are two easily misunderstood concepts and can, in fact, seem to justify the type of despotic and unbridled domination that takes no care of the earth and its fruit, but despoils it for personal advantage. However, in biblical language, they are used to describe the rule of a wise king who cares for the well-being of all of his subjects.
Man and woman must care for creation, so that it will serve them and remain at the disposition of all, not just a few.
The underlying nature of creation is that of being a gift of God, a gift for all, and God wants it to remain so. God's first command is therefore to preserve the earth in its nature as gift and blessing, not to transform it into an instrument of power or motive for division.
The right and duty of the human being to have dominion over the earth is derived from being the image of God: all, and not just a few, are responsible for creation. In Egypt and Babylonia, this prerogative was attributed to a few, whereas in the biblical text, dominion belongs to the human person as such, and hence to all. Indeed, it is humanity in its entirety which must shoulder responsibility for creation.
Man is placed in the garden to till it and keep it (cf. Gen 2:15), so that he can nourish himself of its fruit. In Egypt and Babylonia, work was a harsh necessity imposed on men for the benefit of the gods — which in fact meant the benefit of the king, officials, priests and major property-owners — whereas in the biblical account, work is for the realization of the person.
-TOWARDS A BETTER DISTRIBUTION OF LAND: The Challenge of Agrarian Reform, 1997.
Many actors (smallholder farmers, herders, artisanal fisherfolk) play a central role in preserving and enhancing agro-biodiversity through the nurturing of plant and crop varieties specifically suited to diverse local environments.
--TRADE, DEVELOPMENT AND THE FIGHT AGAINST POVERTY , 1999.
...the great problems or questions of our time are global in scale (immigration, the environment, food resources, etc.).
L'Osservatore Romano, Vatican, 5 September 2001
NOTE
ON THE CELEBRATION OF THE
WORLD DAY OF BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY
This year's World Day of Biological Diversity, celebrated on 22 May, is dedicated to the theme of forest biodiversity. This theme is of global importance and is a fitting subject for this year's commemoration, as the World Summit for Sustainable Development approaches. This World Day of Biological Diversity may thus help draw our attention to the vast and ample richness of our forests, too much of which now seems to be threatened.
Difficult scientific and technical questions surround the definition of forests and the amount of forest cover in the world, yet it is clear that forests possess a great variety of the earth's species. As God's creation, these species reflect much beauty and enhance our natural habitat; a heightened sense of this diversity increases our sense of awe and mystery before the Almighty's work. The natural wonders of creation provide humanity with sources of recreation, opportunities for leisure and relaxation, and grounds for reflection, without which human life would be spiritually and culturally impoverished.
Forests also bring many advantages to humanity's well-being and aid in its development, for there are direct and indirect links between the natural resources found in forests and the sustainability of human life. A large number of needed commercial products, such as construction timber, furniture, paper and firewood, come from forests, as do various species of plants and microorganisms that help produce many medicines and antibiotics. Others are sources of food or serve as means of genetically improving strains of edible plants. Furthermore, forests provide extensive environmental benefits by helping to prevent soil erosion and absorbing carbon dioxide, and thereby help regulate the earth's climate.
Mismanagement and overexploitation appear to be depleting many forest resources, especially those found in tropical forests which are home to the majority of animal and plant species and contain the largest biomass on the planet. Much of this loss may indeed result from the political, social and economic problems faced primarily by developing countries. Poor and landless people often have no recourse other than to scavenge and exploit wood fuel for cooking and heating, and this overuse may lead to deforestation and desertification. Some developing countries realize that allowing access to their tropical forests is a quick and easy path to needed financial resources. The realities of these economic pressures indicate that the solution to protecting forest biodiversity rests in eradicating absolute poverty and providing greater opportunities for the world's poor.
A number of practical measures have been taken to conserve the biological resources found in forests, and, given the great creative potential of the human person, more can certainly be developed. Approaches of species protection that leave species in their natural habitat as well as those that preserve them in other settings can be beneficial. Better managed, plantation forests have become another way of insuring permanent genetic preservation. Land tenure reform, such as better defined tenure rights and more stringent governmental enforcement, would give those who rely on forests for their survival and livelihoods more responsibility and control over these resources. Allowing forest land owners to benefit from their property may indeed provide incentives for long-term conservation. Finally, the search for more efficient uses and sources of energy, which would help lessen the burden development concerns may place on the environment, is also necessary. All of these are ways to properly "keep" and "cultivate" (cf. Gen 2: 15) those creatures God has entrusted to us.
In view of the World Summit for Sustainable Development, international, regional and national efforts to promote responsible and lasting development are being promoted. Many important sectors of society, ranging from environmental and labor groups and agriculture to science and industry, are deeply involved in this process. These efforts need to be supported by a greater understanding of man's unique vocation to safeguard creation and care for his fellow human beings.
If sustainable development is taken as a step in ensuring integral human development, it will seek to base itself on a spirit of service to humanity and to the whole of creation. This task carries moral and ethical implications, and has a deep spiritual foundation: "man, the only creature on earth that God wanted for its own sake, cannot fully find himself except in sincere self-giving" (Gaudium et spes, n. 24).
There is an obvious need for more serious and responsible approaches to the use of the earth's natural resources, but ones that do not neglect the greatest of resources, the human person. We are called to make the best use of our God-given talents and abilities; in this case, by measuring the scope and extent of our social, economic and environmental problems and taking concrete steps for the increased protection of threatened forests and biological species. The Holy See therefore encourages all to develop a renewed consciousness of humanity's special vocation place in the world and relationship to the environment.
The Holy See cordially wishes those participating in this World Day of Biological Diversity much success in their endeavors on behalf of creation.
© L'Osservatore Romano, Editorial and Management Offices, Via del Pellegrino, 00120, Vatican City, Europe, Telephone 39/6/698.99.390.
The development of ecology is a sign of a new awareness in people. But it is not new for the Church: the light of faith clarifies the meaning of creation and the relationship between humanity and the rest of nature. Saint Francis of Assisi and Saint Philip Neri are symbolic witnesses of respect for nature, which comes from the fact that nature does not belong to the human race but to God, its creator. God appointed us stewards of nature (Gen 1,28), so that we might respect it and thus discover the true basis of our own existence (Cf. Centesimus Annus, 38-39).
The spread of scientific knowledge has shown people where they fit into the immensity of the cosmos and left them captivated with their own abilities and with the world, without even adverting to God as the creator of it all. The challenge for a pastoral approach to culture is to help people to discover transcendence, to convince them that right reason will enable them to make wise use of the best achievements of modern science, and to invite them to tread anew the path which leads from human experience and understanding to knowing our Creator. While its great prestige allows it to penetrate so much of contemporary culture, science cannot grasp the essence of experience or the inner reality of things. A coherent culture is based on the transcendence and superiority of spirit over matter, and harmonizes scientific knowledge and metaphysics. In the realm of knowledge, faith and science are not to be superimposed, and their methodological principles ought not to be confused. Rather, they should overcome the loss of meaning in isolated fields of knowledge through distinction, to bring unity and to retrieve the sense of harmony and wholeness which characterizes truly human culture.
--TOWARDS A PASTORAL APPROACH TO CULTURE, 23 May 1999
Urbanization as well as industrialization are causing a progressive destruction of natural resources and a contamination of the whole planet's environment....
The laity have, in turn, the mission of building up communion in the broad context of their activities in the world.... The following are some of the many concrete expressions through which the laity make communion visible and effective in the Church and in society : the welcoming of migrants and foreigners; helping marginalized minority groups; and involvement in programs promoting peace, the respect for life, the defense of human rights and ecology....
Ecumenism is also a privileged area for the exercise of communion. This dimension of the apostolate, developed in varying degrees by the initiative of diverse particular Churches on the continent, is a response to Christ's desire and also the subject of His prayer to the Father: "That they all may be one; even as thou, Father, art in me and I in thee" (Jn 17:21). The unity of the People of God is being built in the following ways: through prayer; through respectful and sincere dialogue which always gives priority to loyalty and truth; through cooperation in the social field, in ecology and in charitable activities; and through initiatives on behalf of peace.
--ENCOUNTER WITH THE LIVING JESUS CHRIST: THE WAY TO CONVERSION, COMMUNION AND SOLIDARITY IN AMERICA, 1996.
The search for the truth about humankind and the human family must rise above purely utilitarian values, and be open to the full truth about the human person and those fundamental needs of people which cannot be treated as mere commodities. It must overcome the desire for greed and the search for political and economic power which today still remain at the root of many conflicts. Peace between nations presupposes justice and equity in the distribution of the goods of creation.
--ON THE OCCASION OF THE 55th SESSION OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY ON ITEM 33 "CULTURE OF PEACE," Thursday, 2 November 2000.
The Holy See was particularly pleased to see a clear acknowledgment of the need for all women to have access to basic social services, including education, clean water, adequate nutrition and safe sanitation.
--"Women 2000:Gender Equality, Development and Peace for the Twenty-first Century," Monday 9 October 2000.
In too many parts of the world today, the primary causes of poverty are linked to war and conflict. War and conflict impede all forms of social stability and progress. They cause disastrous human consequences in terms of loss of life and injury, even to children and the innocent. The natural environment and basic human infrastructures are damaged, thus setting back the progress even of decades....
Peace is a rich concept which in its biblical roots sums up what we today would call social development. It is a relationship between people and peoples in which they live in harmony among each other and in harmony with their own environment. It is a concept in which each person can realize his or her talents fully and in which the goods of creation - both material and spiritual - are equitably shared.
--June 30, 2000.
Pontifical Council "Cor
Unum"...millions of people are still marked by the ravages of hunger and malnutrition or the consequences of food insecurity. Is this due to a lack of food? Not at all! It is generally acknowledged that the resources of the planet, taken as a whole, are sufficient to feed everyone living on it..... The challenge facing the whole of humanity today is certainly economic and technological in character, but it is more specifically an ethical, spiritual, and political challenge. The challenge is as much a matter of practical solidarity and authentic development as it is of material advancement. The Church holds that economic, social and political issues cannot be properly approached unless the transcendental dimension of the human being is taken into account.
Respect for the environment
At present, nature is teaching all a lesson in solidarity that could easily be forgotten. In the very act of producing food, everyone discovers that they are either active or passive component parts of an ecosystem. A new sphere of responsibility is opening up to people's consciences.
The pretense of pretending to want to provide more food to more people and at the same time weaken agriculture cannot continue. Agriculture seems to be contributing more pollution (with the wholesale use of fertilizer, pesticides, and machines) as it reaches the industrial stage, before having developed the capacity to work without polluting. In addition to the other elements necessary in life, the atmosphere, water, soil, and the woodlands are all threatened by pollution, over-consumption, man-made desertification and deforestation. In the space of fifty years, half the tropical forests have been cleared, more often than not in the quest for more land or because of short-term policies to intensify farming in order to offset the debt burden. In the poorest regions, desertification is being caused by survival practices that actually are increasing poverty. These include over-grazing as well as felling trees and shrubs for cooking and heating.
Ecology and equitable development
It is urgently necessary to manage this planet in an ecologically sustainable manner. From the viewpoint of agri-food production, which is already substantial, there are two elements to be considered. First of all, this sort of environmentally-friendly management will have a cost which will need to be incorporated into economic activity. We should be asking ourselves whether it will always be those living in poverty who have to bear this burden to the detriment of their nutrition. Secondly, of concern is the gaining of a better understanding of linkage of ecology and the economy within the current notion of sustainable development. But this objective must not distract from the need to put even greater effort into promoting equitable development. In the end, development cannot be sustainable unless equitable. Otherwise it is likely that the present distortions will be compounded by new ones.
The dignity of the human being and the fruitfulness of labor
God does not cease wishing to restore creation to humanity and, thanks to Christ the Redeemer, to help all to till and care for the garden (Cf. Gen. 2:15-17) avoiding spoiling it or excluding anyone from it. In this situation every effort made to restore the dignity of the human person and the harmony between the human being and the whole of creation forms, for the Church, part of the mystery of the Redemption wrought by Christ, symbolically represented by the tree of life in the original garden (Cf. Gen. 2:9). When the human being enters freely into communion with this mystery, the person transforms the wandering into a pilgrimage, visiting places and performing actions of faith, learning once again to create a just relationship with God, with one's brothers and sisters and with the whole of creation. The person then knows that this justification comes about and is nourished by faith and by trust in God, and that it is often illustrated in the poor in spirit. This person then becomes once again a full participant in the completion of creation, that had fallen as a result of original sin: "... for the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God... (to) obtain the glorious liberty of the children of God" (Rom. 8:19, 21).
Authentic development
The Church's contribution to the development of each human being and whole peoples is not restricted to combating poverty and under-development. There also exists a form of poverty caused by the conviction that the pursuit of technical and economic progress is enough to make each person more worthy to be called a human being. But soul-less development cannot suffice for the human being, and an excess of wealth and affluence is as harmful to the person as an excess of poverty. It is in the "development model" created by the northern hemisphere and spreading throughout the southern hemisphere, that the sense of religion and the human values stand the risk of being overwhelmed by a mentality of consumption, sought-after for its own sake....
It is by freeing us from our idols that God will enable us to set about transforming the world, not only by increasing riches of all kinds, but above all by directing the work of humanity towards the service of all. The world can then rediscover its original beauty which is not only the beauty of nature on the day of Creation, but the beauty of the garden that was perfectly tended and tilled and rendered fertile by the human being, at the service of one's brothers and sisters, in the loving presence of God and out of love for God.
--World Hunger, A Challenge for All: Development in Solidarity, Vatican City, Palazzo San Calisto, 4 October 1996, Feast of St. Francis of Assisi.
If creation, as the Fathers say, is the word of God made into reality, we can understand how it owes its existence to the contemporary action of the Holy Spirit. This means that the world exists in virtue of the creator Spirit. Creation, in its birth and in its continuance, is profoundly "spiritual." This explains the saying that it is good (Gen. 1:10), an expression which simultaneously means good and beautiful....
The Fathers, therefore, tended to see the world as a "theophany," a sign of God's presence and beauty. This involves a true and proper "sacramental cosmology" in which the world is considered "sacred." This signifies for the ancient tradition of the Church that the world is a "mystery," that is, a sacrament, a signifying reality which refers back to him whom it signifies.
In Church tradition the world represents a theophany and is "contemplated" to discover God. This involves a religious contemplation of creation practiced by the "spiritual senses," those new senses given to Christians by the Spirit to understand the divine traces hidden in every being, that is, the wisdom and goodness of God the creator who forged everything through his Word. Only in this case can we overcome the exteriority of things and "feel" their true language. It constitutes the true "knowledge" of things through which Christians, purified and with their "pure hearts" regained, can catch sight of the "divine plan" and discover the divine providence made of love and Wisdom. Then does nature truly become an "open book" capable of making known God and his design of love....
Contemplating nature constitutes a great help in nourishing in us the "remembrance of God."
The world, sign of God's benevolence and the progressive manifestation of the Word through the action of the Spirit, is also the expression of a declining, devastated, and oppressed creation waiting for that final liberation that only the new creation in Christ can accomplish. Human beings, in fact, "turned in upon themselves," are continually tempted to become closed to the action of the Spirit, constantly put creation in danger, and tend to hide the "goodness" of the world which resides in its existence "in the Spirit." On the contrary, creation is a reality open to the salvific plan of God to which every person is called to cooperation in transforming the world into a hospitable and communal place. The action of the Holy Spirit is necessary to sustain the world's goodness and favor its development. Coming to help us in "our weakness" (Rom. 8:26) is the Spirit, who prevents us from snuffing out his creative action and who, inspiring hope in a new creation, aids in the work of preserving creation.
Given all this, the Great Jubilee could represent an occasion for discovering that the world is involved in Christ's redemption. Given the violent ideology of the myth of progress, people's desire for power makes them think they can reduce the world to exploitable energy deposits without any respect for the rhythms and balance of nature. This is not the case in the Christian vision of the world. The meaning of the creation story (See Gen. 2:15) is in humanity's safeguarding and taking care of that which has been created. This responsibility plunges people's roots in the salvific dimension of creation itself. The aim of creation is to make possible the history of the covenant between God and humanity, which reaches its culmination at Easter: the world finds its consistency in God. If the world is "hidden with Christ in God" (Col. 3:3), then all of reality is not the exclusive domain of humanity, but a network of relationships in which every creature is sustained and nourished by triune love. Because of this, the responsibility of humanity for the world is an ethical choice in which all are committed to give an accounting to the Creator for their own relationship with nature. The Spirit is in action to redeem creation even if, for the moment, it "groans and suffers the labor pains of birth" along with humanity, awaiting the complete and definitive redemption (see Rom. 8:22). The love for creation (ecology) does not stem from a simple aesthetic admiration or from the usefulness that can be derived from it or from the necessity to save the "ecosystem." It is found in concern for the extinction of the very existence of humanity.
Creatures are no less than the fruit of God's call to existence in order to realize the goal of full communion with all things, including their Creator. The fact that the world has a purpose presupposes that among created beings there exist those with their own conscience and freedom. Among all the creatures, only human beings are free and therefore only they can become, in Christ, through the power of the Spirit, the mediator in achieving the destiny of the world. Human beings are the priests of the cosmos because only they are able to return to God as created beings for a personal encounter with him as a conscious response to him who, with his Word and Spirit, sustains humanity. All creatures, through human beings, thus achieve the destiny of their existence. Because of this, human beings are in a mysterious communion with God, not only because they are the free and loving fruit of his goodness but also because they have the vocation to respond freely with love to the creative word of God given to all creatures. They, "made the voice of every creature," become the cosmic priests who praise the Lord "for all his creatures."
With Alyosha Karamozov we might say, "My brothers, love creation in its entirety and in its elements: every leaf, every sunbeam, the animals, the plants. And loving everything you shall understand the divine mystery of things. Once understood, you will comprehend it better every day. And you will end by loving the whole world in a universal love" (Fyodor Dostoyevsky, The Brothers Karamazov). St. Francis of Assisi (d. 1226) prayed: "Be though praised, my Lord, with all thy creatures, above all Brother Sun, who gives the day and lightens us therewith. And he is beautiful, and radiant with great splendor; of thee, most high, he bears similitude" (Canticle of the Sun)....
Humanity discovers that being called to freedom is the great gift of the Father, the Son, and the Spirit -- accomplished in the exercise of charity, that is, in the building of a civilization of love, respect, and solidarity in which an outgoing charity becomes the center of Christian life in the commitment to God and neighbor.
--The Holy Spirit, Lord and Giver of Life
34. ...Throughout the course of the centuries, men have labored to better the circumstances of their lives through a monumental amount of individual and collective effort. To believers, this point is settled: considered in itself, this human activity accords with God's will. For man, created in God's image, received a mandate to subject to himself the earth and all it contains, and to govern the world with justice and holiness, a mandate to relate himself and the totality of things to Him Who was to be acknowledged as the Lord and Creator of all. Thus, by the subjection of all things to man, the name of God would be wonderful in all the earth.
This mandate concerns the whole of everyday activity as well. For while providing the substance of life for themselves and their families, men and women are performing their activities in a way which appropriately benefits society. They can justly consider that by their labor they are unfolding the Creator's work, consulting the advantages of their brother men, and are contributing by their personal industry to the realization history of the divine plan.
36. Now many of our contemporaries seem to fear that a closer bond between human activity and religion will work against the independence of men, of societies, or of the sciences.
If by the autonomy of earthly affairs we mean that created things and societies themselves enjoy their own laws and values which must be gradually deciphered, put to use, and regulated by men, then it is entirely right to demand that autonomy. Such is not merely required by modern man, but harmonizes also with the will of the Creator. For by the very circumstance of their having been created, all things are endowed with their own stability, truth, goodness, proper laws and order. Man must respect these as he isolates them by the appropriate methods of the individual sciences or arts. Therefore if methodical investigation within every branch of learning is carried out in a genuinely scientific manner and in accord with moral norms, it never truly conflicts with faith, for earthly matters and the concerns of faith derive from the same God. Indeed whoever labors to penetrate the secrets of reality with a humble and steady mind, even though he is unaware of the fact, is nevertheless being led by the hand of God, who holds all things in existence, and gives them their identify. Consequently, we cannot but deplore certain habits of mind, which are sometimes found too among Christians, which do not sufficiently attend to the rightful independence of science and which, from the arguments and controversies they spark, lead many minds to conclude that faith and science are mutually opposed.
But if the expression, the independence of temporal affairs, is taken to mean that created things do not depend on God, and that man can use them without any reference to their Creator, anyone who acknowledges God will see how false such a meaning is. For without the Creator the creature would disappear. For their part, however, all believers of whatever religion always hear His revealing voice in the discourse of creatures. When God is forgotten, however, the creature itself grows unintelligible.
37. ...Hence if anyone wants to know how this unhappy situation can be overcome, Christians will tell him that all human activity, constantly imperiled by man's pride and deranged self-love, must be purified and perfected by the power of Christ's cross and resurrection. For redeemed by Christ and made a new creature in the Holy Spirit, man is able to love the things themselves created by God, and ought to do so. He can receive them from God and respect and reverence them as flowing constantly from the hand of God. Grateful to his Benefactor for these creatures, using and enjoying them in detachment and liberty of spirit, man is led forward into a true possession of them, as having nothing, yet possessing all things. "All are yours, and you are Christ's, and Christ is God's" (1 Cor 3:22-23)
53. Man comes to a true and full humanity only through culture, that is through the cultivation of the goods and values of nature. Wherever human life is involved, therefore, nature and culture are quite intimately connected one with the other.
57. Christians, on pilgrimage toward the heavenly city, should seek and think of these things which are above. This duty in no way decreases, rather it increases, the importance of their obligations to work with all men in the building of a more human world. Indeed, the mystery of the Christian faith furnishes them with an excellent stimulant and aid to fulfill this duty more courageously and especially to uncover the full meaning of this activity, one which gives human culture its eminent place in the integral vocation of man.
When man develops the earth by the work of his hands or with the aid of technology, in order that it might bear fruit and become a dwelling worthy of the whole human family and when he consciously takes part in the life of social groups, he carries out the design of God manifested at the beginning of time, that he should subdue the earth, perfect creation, and develop himself. At the same time he obeys the commandment of Christ that he place himself at the service of his brethren....
69. God intended the earth with everything contained in it for the use of all human beings and peoples. Thus, under the leadership of justice and in the company of charity, created goods should be in abundance for all in like manner. Whatever the forms of property may be, as adapted to the legitimate institutions of peoples, according to diverse and changeable circumstances, attention must always be paid to this universal destination of earthly goods. In using them, therefore, man should regard the external things that he legitimately possesses not only as his own but also as common in the sense that they should be able to benefit not only him but also others. On the other hand, the right of having a share of earthly goods sufficient for oneself and one's family belongs to everyone. The Fathers and Doctors of the Church held this opinion, teaching that men are obliged to come to the relief of the poor and to do so not merely out of their superfluous goods. If one is in extreme necessity, he has a right to procure for himself what he needs out of the riches of others....
71. By its very nature private property has a social quality which is based in the law of the common destination of earthly goods. If this social quality is overlooked, property often becomes an occasion of a passionate desire for wealth and serious disturbances, so that a pretext is given to those who attack private property for calling the right itself into question.
--Gaudium et Spes -- Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, December 7, 1965
OVER THE YEARS, tourism has undergone a great development involving millions of persons and, in many ways, it has become one of the chief motors of economic activity. The expansion of tourist activity has benefited many people and whole countries, but, at the same time, it has often proven to be a source of degradation of nature and even of people.
...The dynamic and growing aspect of tourism has been accompanied by an innovative and creative force whereby the offers have become increasingly responsive to peoples' needs and desires. Today tourism presents a great variety of forms and constitutes a manifold and constantly changing reality.
At the same time, however, tourist activity displays negative aspects. The persons who promote it or take advantage of tourism often use it for their own illicit purposes, in some cases as an instrument of exploitation, and in others as an occasion for aggression against persons, cultures or nature.
...Tourist activity has a very close relation with nature. Immersed in a daily life dominated by technology, tourists wish to have direct contact with nature, to enjoy the beauty of landscapes, to learn about the habitat of animals and plants, even by subjecting themselves to effort and risks. Nature basically constitutes the ideal place for starting and developing tourism.
Greater ecological awareness is transforming man's relations with nature. In St. Francis of Assisi's example, people should become accustomed to seeing a brother and a sister in everything in creation in order to go back to the Creator and say: "Praise to you , O Lord, with all your creators".
An objective perception of the limited resources and their distribution caused by many human activities, together with greater awareness of the kinds of equilibrium and greater appreciation for natural diversities are making a code of conduct necessary which tourism must adopt, almost as a condition for its survival. Moreover, its particular relation with those environments that have proven to be ecologically more vulnerable — islands, coasts, mountains, forests — imposes a specific responsibility on tourism which must be taken on jointly by promoters, operators, tourists and local communities.
New proposals for tourism and new habits have thus emerged which should be encouraged for their formative and human character. Direct knowledge about nature through voyages for discovering its wonders, exercising respect for nature's equilibrium through a simpler kind of tourism, and the more personalized contact with nature made possible by tourism in smaller groups, such as in rural tourism, are changing in a positive way the daily habits of people who are constantly allured by consumerism....
After encountering God in favorable psychological conditions, in the beauty of nature and art, tourists will feel the need to say with Saint Augustine: "You have made us for yourself, Lord, and our hearts will not rest until they rest in you". And also, "Late have I loved you, o beauty so ancient and so new, late have I loved you! And here you were inside of me and I was outside: and here I sought you...I have tasted You and now I hunger and thirst for you".
After opening up to a universal fraternity, a sharing in a "dialogue between the civilizations and cultures to build a civilization of love and peace", tourists will join in the Psalmist's hymn: "How good, how delightful it is for all to live together like brothers" (Ps 133:1).
With Mary, the Mother of God and image of the Church, all tourists, awed by the beauty contemplated in creation (cf. Wis 13:3), will praise the Lord (cf. Lk 1:46), and tell of the wondrous deeds he has accomplished (cf. Sir 42:15-43,33), thereby bringing a message of hope to their brothers and sisters in humanity.
-Excerpts from The Guidelines for the Pastoral Care of Tourism, dated June 29, 2001, by Archbishop Stephen Fumio Hamao, President, and Archbishop Francesco Gioia, Secretary of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant Peoples
First Vatican Council: Dogmatic Constitution on the Catholic Faith
The Holy, Catholic, Apostolic, and Roman Church believes and acknowledges that there is one true and living God, creator and Lord of heaven and earth, almighty, eternal, immeasurable, incomprehensible, infinite in understanding, will and every perfection. Since He is a one unique, completely simple and unchangeable spiritual substance, He must be declared to be, in reality and in essence, distinct from the world, supremely happy in and from Himself, and inexpressibly loftier than anything else which exists or can be imagined.
This one true God, in his goodness and almighty power and by an absolutely free plan, at the beginning of time created from nothing both spiritual and material creation, that is to say angelic and earthly, and then created human beings composed as it were of both spirit and body in common.... He created not to obtain or increase his own happiness, but to show forth his perfection in the goods which He bestows upon His creatures.
Indeed, God protects and governs by his providence all that He has created, reaching from one end of the earth to the other and ordering all things well. All things are open and laid bare to his eyes, even those which will take place by the free action of creatures.
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