There are other weak and defenseless beings who are frequently at the mercy of economic interests or indiscriminate exploitation. I am speaking of Creation as a whole.
Pope Francis, (#20, Evangelii Gaudium)
[Earth] is our common home and the place of God’s covenant with human beings and with all Creation. To disregard the mutual relationships and balance that God established among created realities is an offense against the Creator, an attack on biodiversity, and ultimately against life itself.
Conference of Latin American Bishops, (#125, Aparecida)
Extractive Industries
Columban missionaries see close-up the growing threat of a massive depletion of natural resources and destruction of the environment caused by Extractive Industries. We challenge the model of development promoted by many multinational corporations, governments and international financial institutions that is based on the intensive exploitation of natural resources, most of which are nonrenewable, and creates conditions of dependency for countries from which the resources are extracted. This model of development commodifies the natural world which violates the relationship of balance and harmony intended for all of God’s Creation and often generates social conflicts, violates human rights and endangers biodiversity.
Our mission experience of living with communities and the natural world that has been marginalized and exploited, along with insights from Scripture, Catholic Social Teaching, and empirical science impel us to seek ways to restore right relationships with Creation. Creation-centered theology helps us see that ethical behavior must no longer be confined solely to our relationship with God and other human beings, but must include our relationship with all of God’s Creation.
