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VATICAN LETTER
Jun-20-2008 (860 words) Backgrounder. xxxi
Environmental
exegesis: Two sets of commandments
By John Thavis
Catholic News
Service
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Anytime there's mention of a new Ten Commandments at
the Vatican, journalists start salivating. So the buzz was high when a new
"Decalogue for the Environment" was promised in early June.
As it turns out, though, these Ten Commandments were not headline
material. Instead of a list of "Thou shalt nots," a Vatican official
presented a set of 10 basic principles to keep in mind on environmental
issues.
Meanwhile, an Italian theologian and spiritual adviser to Italy's national
agricultural federation came up with his own Ten Commandments, focusing on
what he called "ecological sins."
As the environment continues to evolve as a main theme of Pope Benedict
XVI's pontificate, here is a look at these two takes on offenses against
environmental ethics -- one nuanced, the other more pithy.
Bishop Giampaolo Crepaldi, secretary of the Pontifical Council for Justice
and Peace, offered 10 principles drawn from the Compendium of the Social
Doctrine of the Church. Here is an abbreviated version:
1. The human being, created in God's image, is placed above all other
earthly creatures, which must be used and cared for in a responsible way.
2. Nature must not be reduced to a utilitarian object of manipulation, nor
absolutized or placed above human dignity.
3. Ecological responsibility involves the entire planet in a common duty
to respect a collective good, for present and future generations.
4. In dealing with environmental problems, ethics and human dignity should
come before technology.
5. Nature is not a sacred or divine reality, removed from human
intervention. Thus, human intervention that modifies some characteristics
of living things is not wrong, as long as it respects their place in the
ecosystem.
6. The politics of development must be coordinated with the politics of
ecology, and every environmental cost in development projects must be
weighed carefully.
7. Ending global poverty is related to the environmental question,
remembering that the goods of the earth must be shared equitably.
8. The right to a safe and clean environment needs to be protected through
international cooperation and accords.
9. Environmental protection requires a change in styles of life that
reflect moderation and self-control, on a personal and social level. That
means moving away from the logic of consumerism.
10. Environmental issues also require a spiritual response and a greater
awareness that the created world is a gift of God.
Msgr. Carlo Rocchetta, who works as a sort of chaplain to Italian farming
organizations, took a more traditional approach and used the Ten
Commandments schema -- though his adaptation would never fit on stone
tablets:
1. I am the Lord your God: You shall not cause situations of danger or
death in the order of nature, especially if they can become permanent and
uncontrollable.
2. You shall not commit violence to the created world and its integrity:
There exists an "ecological sin" that offends me, just as a personal or
social sin offends me.
3. Remember to respect the unity of the life-system and the
interdependence that exists among beings: The future of humanity is at
stake. Seek a lifestyle that is moderate, just and respectful of nature
and the common good.
4. Honor the variety of living creatures, flora and fauna: It is a gift
and a richness for all; do not impoverish or destroy it. Appreciate
biodiversity; value and promote it.
5. You shall not kill economic democracy, social justice and solidarity in
the name of economic and financial powers that cancel the freedom,
creativity and initiative of smaller entrepreneurs.
6. You shall not use the genetic patrimony and the knowledge of the human
genome for profit or gain: All that is written in creation is shared and
should serve the good of all humanity.
7. You shall not steal or create new forms of poverty and exploitation of
the weakest, using a perverse economic system in which the poor make the
rich richer.
8. You shall not bear false witness to consumers, lying about products,
generating food insecurity or even disease. Respect life in all its forms
and work to produce safe foods.
9. You shall not desire agriculture without farmers, anonymous and
unconnected to the land. Value the task of "custodian" and "cultivator"
that I entrusted to man from the beginning.
10. You shall not destroy traditional regional products or those of
quality, the tastes and flavors of the earth; do not contaminate healthy
seeds and livestock with cultures and fodder that may not be safe.
Intervene in nature to improve it, not to threaten or do violence to its
delicate balance.
Whichever version of the "environmental commandments" are used, it's clear
that following them closely would challenge the current system of
agricultural economics and personal consumption.
It bears remembering that the Vatican itself has, to some degree, tried to
go greener: installing solar panels, for example, and collaborating in a
reforestation project in Hungary designed to offset carbon emissions from
Vatican City.
Last year, Pope Benedict suggested that Sunday be considered "the church's
weekly feast of creation." It's a theme he's expected to develop in his
upcoming social encyclical.
END
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