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Catholic Environmental Justice Public Policy and Advocacy
Much is at stake for people and for the environment
in the decisions made in city halls and corporation
boardrooms, in the chambers of Congress and state
legislatures, and in the offices of political
leaders and business executives.
The Catholic Church has been a strong voice on
behalf of environmental justice in these arenas.
Individual Catholic citizens, local parishes,
religious orders, dioceses, and conferences of
Bishops have spoken up in defense of creation,
especially the poor and vulnerable. They have
been advocates for the common good, environmental
stewardship, responsibility to future generations,
and respect for the life, dignity and rights of
the human person.
- Nationally and regionally, Catholic Bishops
in the United States have issued several public
statements, urging citizens, policy makers
and officials to consider the ethical dimensions
of environmental policy decisions.
- The Department of Justice, Peace, and Human Development
is the national policy agency of the U.S.
Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), helping
them to share and apply Catholic social teaching
to domestic and international issues. A recent
background
paper summarizes the USCCB’s perspective
on environmental justice issues.
- The National
Catholic Rural Life Conference advocates
for family farms, a healthy environment, and
strong rural communities, serving as a catalyst
and convener for social justice and a vehicle
for community reconciliation.
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- Parishes and dioceses, working together with
other local religious and community groups,
have undertaken legislative
advocacy projects and major
regional initiatives addressing environmental
policy areas such as water quality and supplies,
urban sprawl and transportation issues, large-scale
hog farming, destruction of coastal wetlands,
and their impacts on low-income and minority
communities.
- Some religious orders have made advocacy for
environmental justice an important part of their
work — for example, the Franciscan
Sisters of the Poor, the School
Sisters of Notre Dame, Franciscans
International, and the National
Fraternity of the Secular Franciscan Order.
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