“Respect for the human being and respect for nature are one, but both can grow and find their right measure if we respect in the human being, and in nature, the Creator and his creation. On this, dear young people, I believe to find allies in you, true “guardians of life and creation.” Pope Emeritus, Benedict XVI, in speaking to Italian students in 2011.
The second annual review of the Diocese of Plymouth Environmental Policy gives a brief overview of progress being made to implement the commitments in the policy.
We are guardians of life and creation and, indeed, intimately connected to the natural world around us. The enormity of the environmental challenges that face us can seem daunting. The problems facing us are many, varied and inter-related, as are the variety of responses that are required from us. But essentially, we need a heart shaped by our discipleship of Jesus. One that loves God, neighbour, and the natural world around us. The bishops of England and Wales, in their document (updated in 2022) The Call of Creation, call us ‘to a profound interior conversion, whereby the effects of our relationship with Jesus Christ become evident in our relationship with the world around us.’
This report shares the wonderful variety of initiatives and efforts being made in our parishes and schools, and in the wider community, to respond to the call for change and bring healing and flourishing to God’s creation. Please let caritas@prcdtr.org.uk know what you are doing as a Church, and as individuals, to bring harmony and repair to our relationship with God’s creation. We would love to hear from you.
May the work that has already been taking place in our own diocese, reflected in this review, be a help and inspiration for us all in being guardians of life and creation.