For many decades the pre-eminent public policy issue for the Bishops of the United Staes has been abortion. At the fall meeting of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, there was a movement to expand their pro-life priorities to include immigration reform and the environment. However, in the end, the bishops voted to keep abortion as the pre-eminent priority since it represents “a direct attack on human life.”

Pope Francis has spoken out repeatedly against abortion, calling it a “terrible crime,” but he has been equally outspoken on other pro-life issues. It was under Pope Francis’ direction that capital punishment was declared a moral evil. He has shown great passion for care of creation; and, had his recent illness not prevented it, he planned to attend the 28tth United Nations Climate Change Conference in Dubai (commonly called COP28). The Conference is to end on Tuesday December 12 and our bulletin deadline is Monday December 11 at noon; so, you will have to turn to more timely media to discover what the final document says. The big debate centers around fossil fuels: Will there be a strong commitment among the nations to phase out coal, oil, and natural gas?  While the political and economic entities hammer out a document, it is important for us as Catholics to listen to what Pope Francis wrote last week. He clearly sees climate change as a pro-life issue:

“Sadly, I am unable to be present with you, as I had greatly desired. Even so, I am with you, because time is short. I am with you because now more than ever, the future of us all depends on the present that we now choose. I am with you because the destruction of the environment is an offence against God, a sin that is not only personal but also structural, one that greatly endangers all human beings, especially the most vulnerable in our midst and threatens to unleash a conflict between generations. I am with you because climate change is a global social issue and one intimately related to the dignity of human life. I am with you to raise the question which we must answer now: Are we working for a culture of life or a culture of death? To all of you I make this heartfelt appeal: Let us choose life! Let us choose the future! May we be attentive to the cry of the earth, may we hear the plea of the poor, may we be sensitive to the hopes of the young and the dreams of children! We have a grave responsibility: to ensure that they not be denied their future.

“It has now become clear that the climate change presently taking place stems from the overheating of the planet, caused chiefly by the increase of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere dure to human activity, which in recent decades has proved unsustainable for the ecosystem. The drive to produce and possess has become an obsession, resulting in an inordinate greed that has made the environment the object of unbridled exploitation. The climate, run amok, is crying out to us to halt this illusion of omnipotence. Let us once more recognize our limits, with humility and courage, as the sole path to a life of authentic fulfillment.”

The Pope goes on to decry the decline in collaboration among the nations of the world at the very time when it is most desperately needed. “It is essential to rebuild trust, which is the foundation of multilateralism.” He adds, “This is true in the case of care for creation, but also that of peace. These are the most urgent issues and they are closely linked. How much energy is humanity wasting on the numerous wars presently in course, such as those in Israel and Palestine, in Ukraine, and in many parts of the world: conflicts that will not solve problems but only increase them! How many resources are being squandered on weaponry that destroys lives and devastates our common home!”

Pope Francis begs the Conference Delegates to allow the 2024 Conference to be a turning point, “demonstrating a clear and tangible political will” to produce change that is “efficient, obligatory and readily monitored” in four areas: energy efficiency, renewable sources, the elimination of fossil fuels, and education in lifestyles that are less dependent on the latter.” He notes that 2024 marks the eighth hundredth anniversary of the composition of The Canticle of the Creatures.by St. Francis. “By then Francis was completely blind, and after a night of physical suffering, his spirits were elevated by a mystical experience. He then turned to praise the Most High for all those creatures that he could no longer see, but knew that they were his brothers and sisters, since they came forth from the same father. An inspired sense of fraternity thus led him to turn his pain into praise . . . With God’s help, let us emerge from the dark night of wars and environmental devastation, in order to turn our common future into the dawn of a new and radiant day.”

                                                                            Fr. Joe