We want world peace
Pope Benedict has issued a call for cosmic peace.
In his Message this year the Pope presents “a cosmic vision of peace” a peace which “comes about in a state of harmony between God, humankind and the creation. In this perspective, environmental degradation is an expression not only of a break in the harmony between humankind and the creation, but of a profound deterioration in the unity between humankind and God”, said [Cardinal Renato Martino, president emeritus of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace].
The Holy Father highlights the “urgent need for action”, although he “does not propose technical solutions and does not seek to interfere in the policy of governments. Rather, he recalls the Church’s commitment to defending the earth” and enumerates a series of “perspectives for the shared progress of humankind”. This series includes “a non-reductive vision of the nature of human beings”, a call to collective responsibility, and “a profound revision of development models”.
Among the many environmental activists working to save the earth in all sorts of ways, some of the more extreme visions see man as a polluter and a scourge on the earth, and some even less extreme activists see population reduction as one of the solutions to global warming and endangered ecological systems. What the pope is gently reminding them is that man is the first and of the highest order in created nature, and human beings can’t be reduced to merely useful roles. They need that reminder.
This is interesting:
In conclusion, the president emeritus of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace noted the Pope’s deliberate decision to dedicate his Message this year to the theme of ecology, as it coincides with the thirtieth anniversary of the proclamation of St. Francis of Assisi, author of the ‘Laudes Creaturarum’, as patron saint of the environment. “Love for the creation, if projected onto a spiritual horizon, can lead mankind to brotherhood with his fellows and to union with God”, he said.
That’s a big “if”, but a nudge to those who love the earth, but could do without its inhabitants.
