Catholic Orders Heed Pope Francis and Divest from Fossil Fuels

Four Australian Catholic orders are jointly and publicly divesting from coal, oil and gas: ‘We believe the Gospel asks no less of us’

Four Australian Catholic organisations have announced they are completely divesting from coal, oil and gas in what they say is the first joint Catholic divestment anywhere in the world.

The move comes as prominent Jewish rabbis, Muslim clerics, Anglican bishops and other religious leaders call on the Australian government to protect the Great Barrier Reef, stop approving coalmines and remove subsidies to the fossil fuel industry, in an open letter published by the Guardian.

Divesting from fossil fuels: Open letter from religious leaders

Letter seeks to draw attention to ‘the degradation of the Great Barrier Reef … principally due to global warming’

To those in public office or aspiring to it:

As leaders in a range of faith traditions, we draw attention to the wake-up call which the degradation of the Great Barrier Reef provides.

The reef is a wonder of the natural world and, to people of faith, a sign of the spiritual dimension of life. It also supports many jobs and economic benefits.

We are called to advocate for climate justice

The current national climate consultations offer a valuable opportunity for Canadian citizens and people of faith to participate in the development of Canada’s climate action plan. CPJ has developed a simple web-based Climate Consultation Tool that you can use to submit your ideas directly to the government.

Here is a summary of the upcoming town hall meetings across Canada and a special one-hour workshop (download as a Word Doc) to help bring more people from faith communities into the climate justice conversation.

There was already a Facebook event on May 24th in Ville Marie-Le Sud-Ouest-Ile-des-Soeurs. Additional meetings in Quebec will be taking place in the following places at the following times:

Churches invited to support World Environment Day

[ACNS, by Rachel Farmer] Churches across the world are being encouraged to engage with World Environment Day this Sunday 5 June and to use it as an opportunity to celebrate God’s creation and help protect the planet.

Green Anglicans, the Anglican Church of Southern African Environmental Network, has provided resources for churches particularly for use by young people in services on World Environment Day.

Environmental Coordinator for the Anglican Church of Southern Africa, the Revd Dr Rachel Mash said, “World Environment Day is a global day set aside to grow and encourage global awareness and action on care for creation. In Genesis 15:2 God gave us a mandate to look after his earth. This day serves as an opportunity for people to focus on giving back to our wonderful planet by becoming agents of change as well as curbing global warming, climate change and other related issues while cutting down their carbon foot print.”

Angola is the host country this year and the theme is ‘Go Wild for Life’ which is focusing on the high volume of illegal trading of wild life. The country is seeking to restore its elephant herds and conserve its biodiversity, and safeguard the environment as it continues to rebuild after a quarter century of civil war. Members of the young green Anglicans network in Angola have been circulating resources and encouraging churches to take part in special services to mark the event.

Angolan Environment Minister Maria de Fatima Jardim said, "The illegal wildlife trade, particularly the trade in ivory and rhino horn, is a major problem across our continent. By hosting this day of celebration and awareness-raising, we aim to send a clear message that such practices will soon be eradicated."

Churches in Southern Africa are running a number of events in connection with the day including an earth festival and talent competition in the Western Cape dioceses, a focus on care for our common home at St Albans Cathedral, Pretoria, while in the Diocese of Saldanha Bay the churches will be taking a pledge to support the environment.

Rachel Mash said, “As people of faith our actions can begin in our place of worship and from there we reach out to our communities, reminding people about how God took his time to make this earth beautiful. We can achieve this if we work together as people of God.”

Resources for services are available to download and include suggested readings, liturgy, prayers and a drama based on a story by Nobel Prize winner Wangari Maathai.

World Environment Day is an opportunity for churches to do doing something to take care of the earth and become agents of change. For further information visit World Environmental Day .

Source: ACNS News Service