Care for God's Creation
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USCCB: CARE FOR cREATION
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We show our respect for the Creator by our stewardship of God’s creation. Care for the earth is a duty of our faith and a sign of our concern for all people. We should strive to live simply to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. We have a moral obligation to protect the planet on which we live – to respect God’s creation and ensure a safe and hospitable environment for human beings, especially children at their most vulnerable stages of development. As stewards called by God to share the responsibility for the future of the earth, we should work for a world in which people respect and protect all of creation and seek to live simply in harmony with it for the sake of future generations.¹
More on Care for God's Creation from the USCCB
CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH:CARE FOR GOD'S CREATION
ENVIRONMENT | CLIMATE CHANGE
Click the Title of each section to learn more about the issue on the USCCB website.
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ENVIRONMENT
Take action
- Examine your own lifestyle and see how your family can be a better steward for God and the environment
- Plant a garden in your parish and help feed the community
- Recycle
- Use reusable shopping bags
- Use public transportation
- Host an environment workshop at your parish, school, or ministry
“Care for the earth and for the environment is a moral issue. Protecting the land, water, and air we share is a religious duty of stewardship and reflects our responsibility to born and unborn children, who are most vulnerable to environmental assault. Effective initiatives are required for energy conservation and the development of alternate, renewable, and clean energy resources.”
Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship, 2007, 87
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CLIMATE CHANGE
Take action
- Use energy efficient light bulbs and equipment
- Carpool or use public transportation
- Recycle
- Buy local products
- Conduct an energy audit at your home or parish
“Honoring creation is another way to honor God who created all that is. If we value our relationship with God and God’s creation, climate change must be for us a profoundly spiritual, ethical, and moral issue. The human contribution to climate change represents one of the clearest examples of how human activity is damaging God’s creation. We need to recover spiritual values that respect God’s creation…It is a moral issue because while the poor have contributed the least to climate change, they will suffer its worst consequences. Catholic Social teaching, based on biblical and Church teaching, call us to consider first how our actions affect poor and vulnerable people. We have a special obligation to respond to our brothers and sisters in need.”
Catholic Coalition on Climate Change, A Catholic Approach to Climate Change
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¹Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship, 2007, 54.
updated June 5, 2020Back to Advocacy & Justice