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Pope Benedict has not been shy in regards to issues of the environment. He has spoken frequently about everyone's right to food, right to water and responsible sharing. He has spoken about the real meaning of progress and development and what that means for our planet of limited resources. He has discussed climate change, the connection between science and nature, and how the path of cultivating peace is directly linked to protecting creation.
These quotes are taken from a new book published by Our Sunday Visitor called: The Environment by Pope Benedict XVI.
“The order of creation demands that a priority be given to those human activities that do not cause irreversible damage to nature, but which instead are woven into the social, cultural, and religious fabric of the different communities. In this way, a sober balance is achieved between consumption and the sustainability of resources.”
Pope Benedict XVI, Message to the Director General of the Food and Agriculture Organization for the Celebration of World Food Day, October 16, 2006.
“The world is not something indifferent, raw material to be utilized simply as we see fit. Rather, it is part of God’s good plan, in which all of us are called to be sons and daughters in the one Son of God, Jesus Christ (cf. Eph 1:4-12).”
Pope Benedict XVI, Apostolic Exhortation Sacramentum Caritatis, February 22, 2007
“Preservation of the environment, promotion of sustainable development and particular attention to climate change are matters of grave concern for the entire human family. “
Pope Benedict SVI, Letter to the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople on the Occasion of the Seventh Symposium of the Religion, Science and the Environment Movement, September 1, 2007
“The relationship between individuals or communities and the environment ultimately stems from their relationship with God. When ‘man turns his back on the Creator’s plan, he provokes a disorder which has inevitable repercussions on the rest of the created order.”
Pope Benedict SVI, Letter to the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople on the Occasion of the Seventh Symposium of the Religion, Science and the Environment Movement, September 1, 2007
“My dear friends, God’s creation is one and it is good. The concerns for nonviolence, sustainable development, justice and peace, and care for our environment are of vital importance for humanity. They cannot, however, be understood apart from a profound reflection on the innate dignity of every human life from conception to natural death: a dignity conferred by God himself and thus inviolable.”
Pope Benedict XVI, Address, Welcoming Celebration by Young People for World Youth Day in Sydney, Australia, July 17, 2008
“The Earth is indeed a precious gift of the Creator who, in designing its intrinsic order, has given us bearings that guide us as stewards of his creation. Precisely from within this framework, the Church considers matters concerning the environment and its protection intimately linked to the theme of integral human development.”
Pope Benedict XVI, General Audience, August 26, 2009
“The deterioration of nature is… closely connected to the culture that shapes human coexistence: when ‘human ecology’ is respected within society, environmental ecology also benefits.”
Pope Benedict XVI, Address to FAO on Occasion of the World Summit on Food Security, November 16, 2009
“When making use of natural resources, we should be concerned for their protection and consider the cost entailed – environmentally and socially – as an essential part of the overall expenses incurred.”
Pope Benedict XVI, Message for the Celebration of the World Day of Peace, January 1, 2010
“The ecological crisis offers a historic opportunity to develop a common plan of action aimed at orienting the model of global development toward greater respect for creation and for an integral human development inspired by the values proper to charity in truth.”
Pope Benedict XVI, Message for the Celebration of the World Day of Peace, January 1, 2010
“I would advocate the adoption of a model of development based on the centrality of the human person, on the promotion and sharing of the common good, on responsibility, on a realization of our need for a changed lifestyle, and on prudence, the virtue which tells us what needs to be don today in view of what might happen tomorrow (cf. Saint Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae, II-II, q. 49, 5).
Pope Benedict XVI, Message for the Celebration of the World Day of Peace, January 1, 2010
“We are all responsible for the protection and care of the environment. This responsibility knows no boundaries. In accordance with the principle of subsidiarity it is important for everyone to be committed at his or her proper level, working to overcome the prevalence of particular interests.”
Pope Benedict XVI, Message for the Celebration of the World Day of Peace, January 1, 2010
“Too often, attention is diverted from the needs of populations, insufficient emphasis is placed on work in the fields, and the goods of the earth are not given adequate protection. As a result, economic imbalance is produced, and the inalienable rights and dignity of every human person are ignored.”
Pope Benedict XVI, Message to Mr. Jacques Diouf, Director General of FAO on the Occasion of World Food Day, October 15, 2010
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