A new canon to be inserted in the Code of Canon Law, dedicated to the “grave duty” of the Christian faithful not only “not to harm” but also to “improve” the natural environment. This is the proposal that Cardinal Francesco Coccopalmerio, President Emeritus of the Dicastery for Legislative Texts, intends to make to Pope Francis, as he himself announced during the meeting entitled “Dialogue on Catholic Investments for the Energy Transition”, held in Rome last 12 July 2018. The meeting was an opportunity for discussion – behind closed doors – between representatives of Vatican institutions, foundations and Catholic organizations committed to implementing responsible investments for a just energy transition.
Cardinal Coccopalmerio summarizes his proposal to Vatican Insider as follows: “The Code of Canon Law, at the beginning of Book II, at canons 208-221 under the title “Obligations and rights of all the faithful” presents a list of these obligations and rights, and for this reason outlines an identikit of the faithful and of their life as a Christian. Unfortunately, nothing is said about one of the most serious duties: that of protecting and promoting the natural environment in which the faithful live”.
“My proposal – the Ambrosian cardinal continues – would be to ask the Pope, on the part of the Department for Legislative Texts, to insert into the canons I have just mentioned a new canon that sounds more or less like this: “Every faithful Christian, mindful that creation is the common house, has the grave duty not only not to damage, but also to improve, both through everyday behavior, and through specific initiatives, the natural environment in which each person is called to live”.
Full story at La Stampa.
Make it so.
No, do not make it so! The real goal is population control. All the faux science is geared to people being pressured or forced by governmental agencies to have fewer children. Under Pope Francis, the Vatican has been inviting like likes of Paul Ehrlich to present population control arguments. Yes, beyond scandalous but that’s where the Church is being led today. Pray this pontificate will have the scales lifted from it’s eyes.
Kristin, it isn’t faux science, and although the number of human beings has an effect, population control isn’t the “real goal”. Please go see the real science for yourself. Tell me which of that evidence you think is “faux”. https://climate.nasa.gov/
Anonymous @9:48am, NASA predicts the “end of civilization” unless there is a significant reduction in population (Wow, that’s a big fake statement!). Better that YOU read the refutation of the “science” from a trusted source. The Population Research Institute (POP.org) has plenty of material that will open your eyes- if only you will open your mind.
Belay that order.
This is the cardinal whose secretary-monsignor was arrested last year for having a cocaine-fueled homosexual orgy in the cardinal’s private apartment. The cardinal subsequently protected the monsignor from prosecution, and the whole thing was swept under the rug. Yessiree, and this cardinal’s priority is adding a canon that would state a duty of faithful to protect the environment. At what point does laughing at these frauds turn to anger?
We’ve passed that point.
So, this proposal will state that every Catholic will have a grave duty not to damage but to improve the natural environment. This language is so radically broad that it would require a phalanx of canon lawyers and scientists to apply it. For one thing, entropy is a law of nature: But, in juxtaposition, nature is always changing and evolving into new things.
Here are my questions:
When the Pope damages the environment when he turns on an electric light, what must he do to repair the damage so as to improve the environment?
When a poor African farmer damages the environment to help feed his starving family, what must he do to repair the damage?
What about when the church damages the environment by bulding a new church? Lots of trees will be cut down. Maybe we should just stop building and let nature take over completely. All we humans do is mess up the earth.
Why not just burn down all the forests and pave them over with concrete? Why put any kind of scrubbers on our coal fired power plants? Why do we even try to contain our nuclear power facilities, why not just let them melt down into the earth’s core?
Anonymous,
The issue being discussed is not the morality of damaging the environment but whether such a canon is appropriate for canon law. The points being made are especially relevant since canon law is not a morality code.
I was responding to Sheila, who was not talking about Canon Law.
This is a wonderful idea and proposal. Destroying the environment is a sin! All Christians should take whatever actions they can to improve and protect our fragile planet.
It’s not fragile. That’s a myth. It’s been around for billions of years and will be around for billions more.
Do we not have the duty to be good stewards of the planet God lets us live on?
God said have dominion over the earth to Adam and Eve.
When God said that we have dominion over the earth and all its creatures, I prefer to take responsibility for the earth, to honor God by taking cake care of what God had created. I don’t think he meant for us to abuse it like a tyrant.
When you give a child a gift, say a Teddy Bear, and the child rips apart said Teddy Bear, pulls out his eyes and makes a mess of the insides, and you look at him with gentle parental anger, and he says to you, “but you gave him to me!” How would you respond to him?
What’s next? Banning plastic straws and water bottles?
Let’s see, wasn’t this the very same Cardinal whose apartment was used for homosexual drug and debauchery parties? Not to believe what any of these feckless clerics say.
Yes, and thanks for mentioning it. Now, since you had the audacity to mention it, I guess you are prepared to be labeled a party pooper who also happens to be homophobic, etc. Snowflakes on this site will be triggered. Well done St. Christopher.
St. Christopher pray for us.
Has Al Gore become Catholic yet?
The farther they stray from the Faith, the more people are lost to the Church. God help us.
the day that happens is the day I finally leave. the final straw. or maybe it will be deaconesses. or maybe something from the youth synod. i’m really fed up and on the brink. I don’t rcognize my church anymore. would Jesus?
You are already unfaithful. What lame reasons to leave the Lord Jesus!
Maybe you should say that to the cardinal instead of to someone who is scandalized by what goes in at the Vatican these days. It’s not unfaithful to be discouraged or disappointed by clergy who make a mockery of the faith and their vows.
Thomas: You’ve just told Satan what will motivate you to desert Christ and his Church. I imagine he’ll work all the harder to make sure you have your excuse. From then on, the Devil will be looking forward to your company for all eternity.
Okay, right…. so…. the devil is going to put an environmental law into Canon Law just to get Thomas to leave the church. Do you understand what a wacked worldview that is? Thomas has a point… it already seems the devil is in the church anyway. Who was it said the smoke of satan had entered the church? A pope? I think so.
Mary: Do you doubt that Lucifer is willing to fight to the limit of his ability for every single, solitary soul whom he can get to desert Christ, no matter how ordinary or seemingly unimportant that soul is? If so, then you gravely underestimate your enemy, thereby putting your own soul at risk. And do you doubt that Thomas is speaking for a great many people who might be tempted to leave the Church on such grounds?
Why this a wonderful idea from the Cardinal who had a drug crazed priest working for him whom he proposed for the office of Bishop! I’m certain that his Eminence forgot to propose another canon under the rights and obligations of the Christian faithful: The Christian faithful have the most serious obligation to take good care of all living creatures including companion animals and working animals, and not to abuse them in any way.
You speak a lot of sense with humor. Don’t give up.
Time for this guy to retire. So sad that so many cardinals do so much damage and make the church a laughing stock or worse like McCarrick, whose sexual predation on seminarians was the subject of a devastating and embarrassing New York Times article this week.
Stewardship of the environment is already sufficiently addressed in the Old Testament. Anything added to that in Canon Law runs a strong risk of politicization.
i’m firin’ up the ol’ D-8 dozer
gettin’ ready to destroy thousands
of acres of rainforest for the
sheer hell of it
# 1 moral evil of the day ???
Re-focus, your eminence.
I’d like to propose adding a canon that clergy must be faithful catholics
BTW, Vatican police busted up a drug fueled gay orgy at this cardinal’s Vatican apartment. Though he was not implicated, his secretary, a priest, was arrested after being taken to a clinic to detox from the drugs he ingested. This cardinal is not such a great landlord, and maybe not such a great judge of character either.
Maybe not such a great judge of law either.
If this is to become part of Canon Law, one thinks that proscription against use of the Designated Hitter Rule must also be considered and adopted.
What does Hitler have to do with this? And who designated him for anything?
“Karl”: Your comment is a joke, right? The “Designated Hitter Rule” is a badly conceived rule that essentially permits the pitcher not to hit and for a designated hitter to stand in for him. The American League in Major League Baseball has elected to adopt this rule. The National League has wisely chosen to pursue the real game of baseball.
“Hitler” was never mentioned, and has no role whatsoever in my post, which was both sarcastic and satirical. Your joke is not well take; if not a joke then you need to get out more.
Karl, I read it wrong too.
I suggest that anyone wishing to comment first read the insightful post of Steve Seitz, above [18 July]. His insightful comments/questions show what a fool’s errand it is to fashion a sensible and morally consistent canon which is morally sufficient to adequately deal with wildly different circumstances. Canon lawyers [and ALL hierarchs, for that matter], stick to your trade! You have inadequate expertise in environmental science to pontificate!
Really? So this cardinal has done everything he possibly, humanly can to save souls and there’s no more to be done on that front so now he’s turning his attention to the earth? Ridiculous. I don’t see how anyone can take him seriously. Thank goodness he’s not the pope.
Is incense and charcoal bad for the environment? How about burning candles? Is the ink used in liturgical books environmentally friendly? Should churches use air conditioning? What about those electronic votive candle stands? How is energy to power those produced? Maybe bishops shouldn’t have synods because of all the fossil fuels that are consumed in travel. Same for World Youth Day: all those people travelling and creating garbage in one location. Waste of resources. Just watch it on YouTube. Oh, wait, that uses a computer and electricity… are the plastic and lithium battery in my computer okay? Or is that sinful? One new canon law could create so many problems for the Vatican Supreme Court to adjudicate.
Confession is about to get a lot more difficult.
God said…’go forth, multiply, fill the earth and subdue it’
I never heard about the orgy in the cardinal’s apartment like some have said, but I looked it up and it’s true! Why did the Vatican cover this up, and why is this man still a cardinal? Sometimes I wish my old ears and eyes didn’t have to experience such sorrowing things about Holy Mother Church and her priests.
Betty,
Please correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t think the drug-crazed orgy happened in the cardinal’s apartment. Rather, it happened nearby his apartment and the event was hosted by a very close secretary of the cardinal.
Can we have good news about clergy sometimes? it gets depressing. Especially the comments. I feel like giving up. Where is God in all this? If he loves his church why are things so bad all the time and getting worse even with the clergy?
Ha !!!
The Designated Hitler Rule !!!
I almost fell off my bulldozer.
This proposal raises Laudato Si to a sacrament, and like Canon 915 which the bishops ignore it will give the laity something in canon law to ignore, Thank you, I now feel included in the church again.