Droughts, floods, wildfires, extreme weather and rising sea levels can now be measured in lost lives, higher food prices, poorer health, and billions more dollars spent on disaster relief. Climate change is profoundly impacting God’s creation and people, with the poorest and most vulnerable bearing the greatest consequences.
Pope Francis issued a call to action regarding climate change in hisencyclical on the environment. In it he wrote, “We need a conversation which includes everyone, since the environmental challenge we are undergoing, and its human roots, concern and affect us all.”
America’s most influential faith and moral voices are doing just that by Coming Together in Faith on Climate at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. during the pope’s upcoming visit to the United States. Here’s what they have to say on the need for us to join Pope Francis’ call to protect creation:
“As Americans, we have a tradition of calling upon our own deeply held spiritual convictions to guide us through our society’s greatest moral challenges. For many, the fight against climate change is a moral imperative. I am grateful to Pope Francis and faith leaders around the world for calling each one of us to protect creation and seek justice for all people.”
— Sheldon Whitehouse, U.S. Senator
“If we are to be truly human, we must recognize our interdependence not only with the entire human race, but with all other parts of the planet. Our ability to eat, breathe, and live is the result of the creative activity of countless other species, and our ability to destroy is affecting the ability of the whole system to be creative and life-giving. We can make short-term, selfish decisions to use up everything we can, or we can take the longer view, recognizing that our descendants and companions cannot flourish unless we change our wasteful ways. Would you rather be a life-giver or a dementor?”
— The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Scori, Presiding Bishop & Primate, The Episcopal Church
“At the heart of one’s faith is our relationship with God and His creation. We need to be reconciled to God and what He has created. Caring for our planet is not only an act of stewardship, but reconciliation. Faith leaders, reflecting the heart of God, must be on the forefront of caring for creation.”
— Dr. Geoff Tunnicliffe, Chairman, Christian Media Corp Int. and Former Secretary General, World Evangelical Alliance
“We are called as Christians to love our neighbor as ourselves and to care for those whom Jesus called ‘the least of these.’ As Pope Francis has made so eloquently clear, climate change has the greatest impact upon the poorest and most vulnerable of our neighbors. And our faith calls us not just to care, or show concern, but to act.”
— Jim Wallis, President and Founder, Sojourners
“Through his eloquence and his presence, Pope Francis has brought a sense of divine sensibility to the impending human suffering that will result from the failure of all of our communities to stand up and address the impact of climate change. He speaks to the hearts of all of us, no matter what our faith, and enables each of us to discern, if we wish to open our minds, the fullness of our responsibility.”
— Rabbi Steve Gutow, President, Jewish Council for Public Affairs
“With integrity in action and word, Pope Francis leads beyond the boundaries of his own faith tradition. His call to care both for our human family and for the earth that is our family home inspires us to hope. We can begin to imagine a world flourishing in abundance and peace.”
— Sharon E. Watkins, General Minister and President, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ in the United States and Canada)
“Every religion forbids theft, and climate change steals the future from our own children. Every religion commands us to defend the weak, and climate change devastates the most vulnerable people on the planet. The call to creation care is also a call to justice.”
— Rev. Fred Small, Senior Minister, First Parish in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Unitarian Universalist and President, The Creation Coalition
“Pope Francis has earned our collective trust with demonstrated concern for all who call planet earth home. He speaks with honesty, breadth of knowledge, and deep compassion of how we must change in order to protect the earth upon which we all depend. No one else can inspire as Pope Francis does, in large measure because he lives as he believes, wholeheartedly and with great love.”
— The Rt. Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde, Bishop, Episcopal Diocese of Washington
“In Genesis, the first book of the Torah, God tells the newly created human beings to steward the earth; in fact, rabbinic tradition teaches that God warns humanity to protect all of creation, for if we allow it to be destroyed, there will not be another. As we Jews and all modern people of faith confront the crisis of climate change, we must heed God’s warning now more than ever.”
— Rabbi Jonah Dov Pesner, Director, Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism and Senior Vice President, Union for Reform Judaism
“Auburn Seminary stands with people of many faiths as we work to fulfill our sacred obligation to care for not only each other but also for our home on earth. This must be a transformative moment in human history, as climate change is one of the most pressing faith issues of our time. Leaders of faith and moral courage must come together to protect our future, to serve as stewards, and to protect God’s creation.”
— Rev. Dr. Katharine Henderson, President, Auburn Seminary
“Pope Francis is correct when he says that it is urgent for all of us to ‘protect our common home’ because it is ‘beginning to look more and more like an immense pile of filth.’ People of faith know that not only are we connected to all of creation, but also that all of creation has an inherent dignity. We need to respond to that creation with care, not exploitation. This is the message that faith leaders have at the heart of our ministry. Therefore, it is at the heart of our work to care for the earth, curb climate change. It is a loving act that will help nourish community and the common good.”
— Sr. Simone Campbell, SSS, Executive Director, Network Lobby and “Nuns on the Bus”
“People of faith are coming together with one simple message: the number one crisis facing our world is environmental destruction and global warming. Today 97 percent of scientists, almost 100 percent, agree that climate change is real and a real threat to our children and grandchildren. Today, we join Pope Francis in calling on those of faith — and those without — to care for creation.”
— Rev. Cameron Trimble, CEO, Convergence
“The command from God to care for the earth (and so for the vulnerable who are affected by its pollution) is both ancient and immediate. It is woven through many scriptures and advocated by many religious leaders. The visit from Pope Francis is a unique occasion to coordinate the most effective efforts of all time toward this holy goal.”
— Rev. Dr. Joel C. Hunter, Senior Pastor, Northland — A Church Distributed
“As Christians we are called to love God and love our neighbor, but our failure to be good stewards of God’s creation prevents us from fully living out these commands. As changing climates lead to increases in flooding, droughts, crop failure, and the spread of preventable diseases, those who have the least are hit the hardest. We cannot care for the poor, build strong families, confront racial injustice, or advocate for gender equality without addressing the common interwoven thread of creation care.”
— Rev. Dr. Amy Butler, Senior Minister, The Riverside Church, New York City
“I love this beautiful earth. As a Christian, creation fills me with awe and inspires me to worship the Creator. There are a thousand creations I can’t wait to show my grandchildren, as I showed my children, and as my parents and grandparents showed me — the simple beauty of a song sparrow, the grandeur of the Milky Way, the deep rhythm of waves and tides and seasons. This beautiful planet is under assault by human ignorance and greed, and all who love it will want to come together to protect it.”
— Brian D. McLaren, author/speaker/activist
“Jesus commanded us to love God with all our heart, soul, and mind — and then added that we must love our neighbor as ourselves. In today’s globalized economy, the world’s poor are our neighbors like never before, and they are also the ones most adversely affected by climate change. If we truly love God, then we must pour our hearts, souls and minds into protecting our poorest neighbors and God’s glorious creation.”
— The Very Rev. Gary Hall, Dean, Washington National Cathedral
About Coming Together in Faith on Climate:
From Sept. 24-25, the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. will bring together Christian, Jewish, Muslim, and other national religious leaders to express inter-denominational support for the Pope’s call-to-action on climate change and creation care. The event is co-sponsored by The National Cathedral, BlessedTomorrow, Convergence, Faith in Public Life, and Auburn Seminary. The public is invited. Join in person or online:http://comingtogether2015.org/