John Allen, superb columnist for the otherwise fish-wrapper-worthy NCR, has a lovely piece this week about Pope Benedict’s annual Q&A-session with clergy from northern Italy during his vacation. A key part of the session was a discussion about the Church’s teaching on environmentalism and stewardship. I reproduce the best stuff here, but it’s worth reading the entire article.

Generally the questions in these get-togethers come from pastors out in the trenches. This time, however, Benedict also decided to take one from an activist and theologian: Fr. Karl Golser, who directs the Institute for Justice, Peace and Care of Creation in Bressanone. A former official of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith during the early years of then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger’s tenure, Golser publishes and speaks widely on environmental topics.

Setting up his query, Golser asserted that too many believers fail to see a connection between their faith and questions such as climate change or pollution. He then asked Benedict what can be done to bring these matters more into the Christian mainstream. Given the controlled nature of the event, the pope’s decision to take the question in the first place was, in effect, one way of responding to that concern.

Benedict minced no words in condemning what he termed the “brutal consumption of creation,” and he called for an urgent renewal of the theology of creation. Beyond that, Benedict made four points that, together, could be said to represent the heart of his environmental message.

1. Biblical faith promotes respect for the environment, not indifference: Over the years, critics have often charged that the language of the Book of Genesis about humanity “subjugating” the earth has fostered ecological arrogance, a disastrous belief that human beings can do whatever they want with the planet. Instead, Benedict insisted, wherever the biblical vision has been taken seriously, people have clearly understood their role as custodians of creation rather than its master. As evidence, the pope pointed to monastic practices of gardening and cultivation; what grew up around monasteries, he said, were in fact “little paradises,” “oases of creation,” offering proof that the Biblical vision is one of “protection of creation, not destroying it.”
   
2. The environmental movement needs God: What the natural environment most needs today, the pope argued, are people who “see it through God’s eyes.” Ultimately, it is only God who sets limits to the human lust for consumption and power. If matter is all that exists in the universe, why shouldn’t we scramble to grab as much of it as possible? If this life is the only one, why shouldn’t we milk every possible unit of pleasure out of it? The bottom line, according to Benedict, is this: “True and effective measures against the waste and destruction of creation can only be realized and developed, understood and lived, when creation is considered from the point of view of God.” In that regard, Benedict said, it’s important to hold the doctrines of creation and redemption, earthly life and eternal life, together.
   
3. Care for the earth is not just about policies, but lifestyles: The pope insisted that it’s not only laws and business practices that have to change, but styles of life. “It’s not just a question of finding techniques that can prevent environmental harms, even if it’s important to find alternative sources of energy and so on,” Benedict said. “All this won’t be enough if we ourselves don’t find a new style of life, a discipline which is made up in part of renunciations.” In that regard, the pope argued, Christians should lead by example. Christians should offer proof through the simplicity of their own lives that they believe what they say, and that it’s possible to be happy and fulfilled while living in ways that respect the inner dynamics of creation.
   
4. A “clear and decisive” public role: Today’s widespread sensation that “the world may be slipping away — because we ourselves are driving it away,” Benedict said, creates an opportunity to present the faith in public as a “positive proposition.” This is especially the case, Benedict said, where there is “already a sensibility” for the faith. The popular sense of being “oppressed by the problems of creation,” Benedict suggested, creates a context in which people may be willing to take a new look at the Christian message, including its call to “a discipline of responsibility to the future and to others.” Thus, the pope said, Christians have a “duty to intervene in a clear and decisive manner in public opinion.”