Pope's Encyclical Promotes Environmental Justice & Solidarity July 8, 2009 Update

Pope's Encyclical Promotes Environmental Justice & Solidarity July 8, 2009 Update
Pope Benedict's "Caritas in Veritate" (Charity in Truth) Outlines and Elaborates on Environmental Justice On Tuesday, the Vatican released the Holy Father's third encyclical letter, Charity in Truth, emphasizing that "charity demands justice: recognition and respect for the legitimate rights of individuals and peoples." Focused primarily on international economic issues, Pope Benedict calls for a "true world political authority" to promote the common good of all and for "greater social responsibility" by businesses. The encyclical re-emphasizes that the truth of the sacredness of human life and human dignity are to guide all we do as Catholics: "Openness to life is at the center of true development." In this context, Benedict XVI devotes the fourth chapter of the encyclical to "The development of people, rights and duties, the environment." Here, the pope says that, "The environment is God's gift to everyone, and in our use of it we have a responsibility towards the poor, towards future generations and towards humanity as a whole."
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Information from the Catholic Coalition on Climate Change.