Care for Creation
- MPadilla
- Aug 28, 2025
- 2 min read
Below is the 28th in the August Catholic Social Teaching series: Care for Creation
The seventh principle of Catholic Social Teaching is Environmental Justice most often spoke of as Care for Creation. Being good stewards of Creation was the very first task God gave to humankind, and it has never been revoked. Current Catholic Teaching asks us to examine how we are fulfilling that task.
Teresita Scully, MTS
“According to a Vatican statement, this year’s theme reflects the urgency of working “to create the conditions for peace, a lasting peace built together that inspires hope.””
“The biblical reference text chosen for this edition is Isaiah 32:14-18, which directly links justice, peace, and harmony with creation: “Then justice will dwell in the wilderness, and righteousness abide in the fruitful field. … My people will abide in a peaceful habitation, in secure dwellings, and in quiet resting places.””
Scripture
Leviticus 25:1-7: The land itself must be given a rest and not abused.
Deuteronomy 10:14: All of heaven and earth belong to the Lord.
Daniel 3:56-82: Creation proclaims the glory of God.
Romans 1:20: Creation reveals the nature of God.
1 Corinthians 10:26: Creation and all created things are inherently good because they are of the Lord.
Tradition
“When nature is viewed solely as a source of profit and gain, this has serious consequences for society. This vision of 'might is right' has engendered immense inequality, injustice and acts of violence against the majority of humanity, since resources end up in the hands of the first comer or the most powerful: the winner takes all. Completely at odds with this model are the ideals of harmony, justice, fraternity and peace as proposed by Jesus.” (Pope Francis, The Joy of Love [Laudato Si],no. 82)
"The notion of the common good also extends to future generations. The global economic crises have made painfully obvious the detrimental effects of disregarding our common destiny, which cannot exclude those who come after us. We can no longer speak of sustainable development apart from intergenerational solidarity….” (Pope Francis, On Care for Our Common Home [Laudato Si'], no. 159)
“…Our duties towards the environment are linked to our duties towards the human person, considered in himself and in relation to others. It would be wrong to uphold one set of duties while trampling on the other." (Pope Benedict XVI, Charity in Truth [Caritas in Veritate], nos. 48, 51)
“"The dominion granted to man by the Creator is not an absolute power, nor can one speak of a freedom to 'use and misuse,' or to dispose of things as one pleases. The limitation imposed from the beginning by the Creator himself and expressed symbolically by the prohibition not to 'eat of the fruit of the tree' (cf. Gen 2:16-17) shows clearly enough that, when it comes to the natural world, we are subject not only to biological laws but also to moral ones, which cannot be violated with impunity….” (St. John Paul II, On Social Concerns [Sollicitudo rei Socialis], no. 34)
I encourage you to watch the video here
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