Creation is not a property, which we can rule over at will; or, even less, is the property of only a few: Creation is a gift, it is a wonderful gift that God has given us, so that we care for it and we use it for the benefit of all, always with great respect and gratitude.
Pope Francis
In God’s marvelous design, man and woman are called to live in communion with Him, in
Aparecida No. 470
communion between themselves, and with all creation.*1
Climate Change
Columban Missionaries are called to heal, reconcile, build bridges and create mutual understanding through dialogue which is expressed through our solidarity with marginalized people and the exploited Earth.*2 We are called to both safeguard ecological biodiversity as revelation of God and to listen to
Creation as it speaks to us through ecological crisis such as Climate Change.
Our mission experience of living with communities and the natural world that have been marginalized and exploited, Scripture, Catholic Social Teaching, and science impel us to seek ways to restore right relationships with all of Creation. In particular, we see that Climate Change threatens to bring about changes of a geological order of magnitude which will make life difficult for hundreds of thousands of species, including our own. The reality of Climate Change invites us to ongoing personal and communal ecological conversion which leads to both personal lifestyle and structural change.
As a result of insights gained from creation-centered theology, we realize that ethical behavior must no longer be confined solely to our relationship with God and other human beings. It must also extend and include our relationship with all creation.
