justice peace and integrity of creation essay

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Promotion of justice, peace and integrity of creation: Theological-Ecclesiological perspective

Why should we work for justice, peace and integrity of creation? Is this really an integral dimension of our being Christian and being religious?

Why should we work for justice, peace and integrity of creation? Is this really an integral dimension of our being Christian and being religious? What follows is a preliminary attempt to respond to this question from a theological and ecclesiological perspective. We will also look at this from the perspective of religious life.

Biblico-Theological Perspective

According to the book of Genesis, God is the source and creator of everything. Human beings – men and women – are created in the image and likeness of God. From this flows the equal dignity of all and their inalienable rights.

This is also the basis of the social and relational nature of human beings. All creation – especially human beings –reflects God’s Trinitarian nature as communion. We are all interconnected. Unity in diversity. We are called to live in friendship and loving communion with God, with our fellow human beings and with creation. We have the obligation to care for others. In Laudato Si, Pope Francis affirms the Trinitarian basis for universal communion:

“The human person grows more, matures more and is sanctified more to the extent that he or she enters into relationship, going out from themselves to live in communion with God, with others and with all creatures. In this way, they make their own that Trinitarian dynamism which God imprinted in them when they were created. Everything is interconnected, and this invites us to develop a spirituality of that global solidarity which flows from the mystery of the Trinity” (LS 240)

Since God is the creator of all things, then God is the owner of everything. This is the basis for the universal destination of all goods. This means that no one can claim absolute ownership of anything. Everything that God created (the natural resources, the bounty of nature, the earth, the seas, the rivers, the forest, the air, etc.) is meant for the good of all and for all generations to come.

Human beings – endowed with intelligence and free will – share in God’s creative nature. We are called to be co-creators in our own way. As stewards of God’s creation, we are also called to care for the earth – our common home – to nurture and develop it as well as preserve its integrity. We are called to live in harmony with nature and with all living creatures. Thus, this is God’s will for all: universal communion. Pope Francis in Laudato Si affirms this and shows the consequences when this is not followed:

“Human life is grounded in three fundamental and closely intertwined relationships: with God, with our neighbor and with the earth itself… These three vital relationships have been broken, both outwardly and within us. This rupture is sin. The harmony between the Creator, humanity and creation as a whole was disrupted by our presuming to take the place of God and refusing to acknowledge our creaturely limitations. This in turn distorted the mandate to “have dominion” over the earth. As a result, the originally harmonious relationship between human beings and nature became conflictual (cf. Gen 3:17-19)… Sin is manifest in all its destructive power in wars, the various forms of violence and abuse, the abandonment of the most vulnerable and attacks of nature. (LS 66)”

Thus, sin is the rupture of communion. It is the curvature of the self upon self instead of living in love with God, others and creation. This results in alienation from God, from others and from creation. Instead of being in communion with God there is turning away from God and the worship of idols – the idolatry of wealth and power, and even making oneself or another human being as god. Instead of loving communion with others there is separation, division and enmity. The other becomes a stranger, an enemy, an object of exploitation and destruction. One becomes blind and deaf to the suffering and cry of others. Instead of recognizing God as creator and owner of all things and acting as stewards there is the claim of absolute ownership, the drive to monopolize the wealth and resources of the earth, depriving others of their share of these resources. Thus, what results is inequality, injustice and violence. This also leads to the disregard for nature and destruction of our common home. Injustice, violence and the ecological destruction is therefore the manifestation of sin which is the rupture of communion and the failure to love.

The commandments given to Moses were meant to express love for God and for one another. The violation of these commandments are linked to idolatry, violence, immorality, injustice and oppression. This what the prophets in the Old Testament denounced. These are manifestations of sin and evil which is present within each one and in society. The prophets called for conversion. They also announced the coming of the reign of God, a new world liberated from the reign of sin and evil, where justice and peace prevail, where all will live in harmony and communion with God, with one another and with creation. This was the messianic mission that Christ came to fulfill through his incarnation, death and resurrection. The reign of God, the total victory over sin and evil, the fullness of universal communion will find its completion in the end time – the Parousia. This is what salvation is all about. Meanwhile, this mission is continued by Christ’s community of disciples, the Church, that waits in hope for Christ’s coming in glory.

Ecclesiological Perspective

The Church, according to Vatican II, is Communion and People of God that participate in Christ’s messianic mission. This is emphasized in Lumen Gentium – the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church. All those who comprise the Church are called in live in communion with God and with one another – at the local and the universal level. This communion is also to be experienced in the family and among families. As community of faith, hope and love there is equality in dignity and unity in diversity in the Church. The clergy are at not above the lay-faithful but are at their service and have equal dignity with them although they may have different roles.

Ecclesial communion reflects Trinitarian communion. The Church is the people made one by the unity of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit. The Church is the sacrament of universal communion – the union between God and humanity – and this communion is ultimate goal of the Church’s mission.

By virtue of their baptism, all are called to actively participate in the three-fold mission: the priestly, prophetic and kingly/servant mission.

• The priestly mission includes active participation in the liturgy and a life of holiness and self-sacrifice.
• The prophetic mission involves proclaiming the Good News and witnessing. It is a mission of evangelization. It includes denouncing all manifestation of sin and evil – selfishness, idolatry, injustice, violence, oppression, inequality, violation of human rights, environmental destruction, etc. It also means announcing the message of salvation and liberation, of justice and peace. This includes the call to conversion and social transformation.
• The kingly/servant mission involves the struggle against sin and evil within oneself and in society. The mission of service includes action for justice, peace and integrity of creation. This means working social transformation and the realization of the reign of God in our midst.

The Mission of the Church as prophet and as Servant provide the basis for the Church’s involvement in the temporal affairs – social, economic, political, cultural. This is highlighted on in Gaudium et Spes. The social teachings of the Church are the concrete manifestation of the Church’s prophetic and servant mission. The Church’s role cannot be relegated in the private sphere. The Church has an active role in the building of a better world. She cannot remain in the sidelines.

The Church is called to be the Church of the Poor and the Church for the Poor. It is the Church that embraces evangelical poverty, whose members follow the example of Christ by making an option for the poor and living a simple lifestyle. It is the Church that hears the cry of the poor, where the poor are welcomed and given priority, where the poor are not just beneficiaries but active participants in the work for justice, peace, liberation and integral development.

The Role of Religious

We cannot find explicit statements on the involvement of religious in the promotion of justice, peace and integrity of creation in the Vatican II documents. Unlike the previous chapters in Lumen Gentium (2-5), there is no explicit reference in Chapter 6 (On Religious) to the three-fold priestly, prophetic and kingly/servant mission although there is an affirmation that religious life is meant to be a sign of Christ in the world and that in the life of religious various aspects of Christ’s life is seen or replicated – Christ in prayer and contemplation in the mountain, Christ proclaiming the coming of the kingdom of God, Christ healing the sick and feeding the hungry multitude. In a separate document on the adaptation and renewal of religious life – Perfectae Caritatis — there is a section (15) that highlights communion in community but there is no explicit reference to religious participating in Christ’s prophetic, priestly and kingly/servant mission. However, one of the principles of renewal laid down in the decree is “sharing in the life of the Church adopting and implementing the Church’s undertaking – biblical, dogmatic, pastoral, ecumenical, missionary and social.”

Although there are religious orders that have not explicitly adopted the framework of three-fold mission to describe their life and mission, in reality many religious communities strive to live as prophetic communities that carry out Christ’s and the Church’s prophetic mission (evangelization, catechesis, denunciation), praying/ worshipping communities (priestly) and servant communities (kingly) dedicated to works of charity, justice, peace, etc. The charisms of various institutes of consecrated life emphasize one of the three-fold missions but do not exclude others. During the post-conciliar period, religious orders implemented the decree on the renewal of religious life. The revised constitutions of the religious orders reflect the vision and orientation of Vatican II while remaining faithful to their charism. Many adopted the ecclesiological framework promoted by the council and have integrated the promotion of justice, peace and integrity of creation in their post-conciliar documents.

In his apostolic exhortation Redemptionis Donum, St. John Paul II explicitly affirmed the participation of religious in the Church’s three-fold mission:

“Your vocation, dear brothers and sisters, has led you to religious profession, whereby you have been consecrated to God through the ministry of the Church, and have been at the same time incorporated into your religious family. Hence, the Church thinks of you, above all, as persons who are consecrated: consecrated to God in Jesus Christ as His exclusive possession. This consecration determines your place in the vast community of the Church, the People of God. And at the same time this consecration introduces into the universal mission of this people a special source of spiritual and supernatural energy: a particular style of life, witness and apostolate, in fidelity to the mission of your institute and to its identity and spiritual heritage. The universal mission of the People of God is rooted in the messianic mission of Christ Himself-Prophet, Priest and King- a mission in which all share in different ways. The form of sharing proper to “consecrated” persons corresponds to your manner of being rooted in Christ. The depth and power of this being rooted in Christ is decided precisely by religious profession.” (RD 7)

This text affirms that religious institutes and communities are located within the vast community of the Church which is the People of God through their consecration. They also in their own way take part in the universal mission of the People of God that share in Christ’s messianic mission as prophet, king and priest. Thus, they can rightly be called prophetic, priestly and kingly/servant communities. Communion and participation in mission that characterizes religious life therefore should be understood in this way. This can prevent a one-dimensional view of religious life. Religious life is not just a matter of living the evangelical counsels of chastity, poverty and obedience. It is also a life lived in communion with God, with the universal and local Church and with one another in community. In Vita Consecrata John Paul II affirms that communion that is lived in religious life leads to mission: “The life of communion in fact becomes a sign for all the world and a compelling force that leads people to faith in Christ … In this way communion leads to mission, and itself becomes mission; indeed, communion begets communion: in essence it is a communion that is missionary. (VC 46)”

Thus, religious life is also a sharing in the Church’s three-fold mission according to the institute’s charism. Religious communities are prophetic, evangelizing and witnessing communities. At the same time, they are praying, worshipping, celebrating communities. Their life of contemplation and prayer moves them to loving service in whatever form it may take – acts of charity, works of mercy, action for justice, peace and integrity of creation. All these dimensions must be present in religious life. It is a matter of emphasis and specialization according to an institute’s charism. There is, however, a challenge on how these can be concretely be expressed in changing situations.

Through the centuries, religious have exercised a prophetic role within the Church through not just by being at the forefront of evangelization, Christian education but also by their witness of life and by acting as conscience in the Church and society. St. Francis – the poor man of Assisi – is an exemplar especially at a time when the Church – identified with the hierarchy – was regarded as a powerful and wealthy institution. In the age of colonial expansion, religious missionaries who accompanied the conquistadores acted as conscience as they denounced their abuses and even questioned the right to colonize and subjugate these lands. Foremost among these were Bartolome de Las Casas and Francisco de la Victoria. Colonization was not really a matter of the sword and the cross acting together – in many instances it was also the sword versus the cross. However, there was no explicit mention of the prophetic mission in the ecclesiastical documents or constitutions of the religious orders. Even in the Vatican II documents this is absent.

In the post-conciliar period, the explicit association of the prophetic mission and the religious life appeared. The Sacred Congregation for Religious and Secular Institutes affirms this in the document “Human Promotion and Religious Life”: Evangelization, for the Church, means bringing the Good News into all strata of humanity and through it transforming humanity itself from within: its criteria of discernment, its determinant values, its sources of inspiration, its designs for living, opening them up to a total vision of humanity. To accomplish this mission, the Church must search out the signs of the times and interpret them in the light of the Gospel, thus responding to persistent human questions. Religious are called to give singular witness to this prophetic dimension. The continuous religious present to their contemporaries in such a way as to remind everyone that the building of the secular city must be founded on the Lord and have him as its goal.”

This document associates the work of evangelization with the prophetic dimension which religious are to participate by bringing the Good News and become living witnesses of the gospel. This also involves reading and interpreting the signs of the times.

In Vita Consecrata, St. John Paul II affirms the view of community life as well the evangelical counsels in terms of prophetic witness:

“In our world, where it often seems that the signs of God’s presence have been lost from sight, a convincing prophetic witness on the part of consecrated persons is increasingly necessary. In the first place this should entail the affirmation of the primacy of God and of eternal life as evidenced in the following and imitation of the chaste, poor and obedient Christ, who was completely consecrated to the glory of God and to the love of his brethren. The fraternal life is itself prophetic in a society which, sometimes without realizing it, has a profound yearning for a brotherhood which knows no borders. Consecrated persons are being asked to bear witness everywhere with the boldness of a prophet who is unafraid of risking even his life.”

This view is part of St. John Paul II’s broader understanding of the prophetic dimension of religious life which includes the dialectic of annunciation and denunciation:

“In the history of the Church, alongside other Christians, there have been men and women consecrated to God who, through a special gift of the Holy Spirit, have carried out a genuinely prophetic ministry, speaking in the name of God to all, even to the Pastors of the Church. True prophecy is born of God, from friendship with him, from attentive listening to his word in the different circumstances of history. Prophets feel in their hearts a burning desire for the holiness of God and, having heard his word in the dialogue of prayer, they proclaim that word with their lives, with their lips and with their actions, becoming people who speak for God against evil and sin. Prophetic witness requires the constant and passionate search for God’s will, for self-giving, for unfailing communion in the Church, for the practice of spiritual discernment and love of the truth. It is also expressed through the denunciation of all that is contrary to the divine will and through the exploration of new ways to apply the Gospel in history, in expectation of the coming of God’s Kingdom. (VC 84)”

Pope Francis also has a broader understanding of what it means for religious to be prophetic in his Apostolic Letter for the Year of Consecrated Life:

“I am counting on you “to wake up the world”, since the distinctive sign of consecrated life is prophecy. As I told the Superiors General: “Radical evangelical living is not only for religious: it is demanded of everyone. But religious follow the Lord in a special way, in a prophetic way.” This is the priority that is needed right now: “to be prophets who witness to how Jesus lived on this earth… a religious must never abandon prophecy”. Prophets receive from God the ability to scrutinize the times in which they live and to interpret events: they are like sentinels who keep watch in the night and sense the coming of the dawn (cf. Is 21:11-12). Prophets know God and they know the men and women who are their brothers and sisters. They are able to discern and denounce the evil of sin and injustice. Because they are free, they are beholden to no one but God, and they have no interest other than God. Prophets tend to be on the side of the poor and the powerless, for they know that God himself is on their side.”

Thus, for religious there are three basic foundation for promoting justice, peace and integrity of creation:

• As human beings created by God we have the obligation to express our loving communion with God, with our fellow human beings and the rest of creation. This requires living in harmony and peace with one another and treating each other justly. This also requires caring for our common home. Aware that injustice, violence and the destruction of the environment are the manifestation of sin and selfishness which results from rupture of communion, we have the task of promoting communion and working for peace and justice as well as addressing the ecological crisis.
• As baptized Christians and members of the Church, we are called to live in communion and participate in the three-fold mission of Christ: the priestly, prophetic and servant mission. This is a mission of promoting communion not only within the Church but outside the boundaries of the Church – with other peoples, denominations and religious traditions as well as with creation. The prophetic mission is a mission of evangelization – proclaiming the Good News of salvation, of justice and of peace and of the integrity of creation. The prophetic mission also includes denouncing all manifestation of sin and evil – the injustices, inequality, violence and the destruction of our common home. The servant mission calls for action on behalf of justice, peace and integrity of creation.
• As part of humanity and the Church, religious have consecrated their whole life to live in communion with God, with others and with the rest of creation. The promotion of justice, peace and integrity of creation is an integral part of their life and mission.

Father Amado Picardal is a Filipino Redemptorist priest who holds a doctorate in theology from the Gregorian University in Rome. He has lived a life of solitude as a hermit after an active life as missionary, professor, promoter of Basic Ecclesial Communities, and peace and human rights advocate. He is currently executive co-secretary of the Commission for Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation in Rome.

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• Laudato Si'

The Justice, Peace and the Care of Creation Movement (Ecumenical - initated by the WCC)

"In all her being and actions, the Church is called to promote the integral development of the human person in the light of the Gospel. This development takes place by attending to the inestimable goods of justice, peace, and the care of creation. The Successor of the Apostle Peter, in his work of affirming these values, is continuously adapting the institutions which collaborate with him, so that they may better meet the needs of the men and women whom they are called to serve."

Pope Francis

APOSTOLIC LETTER Dicastery for promoting Integral Human Development (August 2016)

JUSTICE, PEACE AND THE INTEGRITY OF CREATION

Guided by a vision of Earth as Home, a life-centered form of ethics, and a firm commitment to economic justice, the JPC movements runs a variety of programs concerning the environment, women, youth, racism, Indigenous Peoples, people with disabilities, globalization, and peace.  The Ecumenical Earth Program promotes a vision of the world based on the Christian commitment to the oikoumene, which it variously defines as the diverse unity of the whole inhabited earth.

“Justice, peace and the integrity of creation” (JPIC) is shorthand for a fuller statement: “To engage member churches in a conciliar process of mutual commitment (covenant) to justice, peace and the integrity of creation should be a priority for World Council programmes.” Originally intended as a programme priority for the WCC by its Vancouver assembly (1983) and addressed to its member churches, it was subsequently expanded to include churches that are not members of the WCC, regional and national ecumenical organizations and all other movements committed to these issues ( D. PREMAN NILES 2003)

Partner Organizations are  350 WCC member churches worldwide,  regional ecumenical organizations on all continents, National Councils of Churches, Church-related development agencies and Environmental NGOs and social movement organizations.

The 1. European Ecumenical Assembly PEACE WITH JUSTICE

The European Ecumenical Assembly PEACE WITH JUSTICE, held in Basel from 15 to 21 May 1989 has proved to be an important landmark in ecumenical co-operation. The decision to hold the European Assembly PEACE WITH JUSTICE was taken at the CEC General Assembly in 1986. We, almost 700 delegates from the 120 member churches of the Conference of European Churches (CEC) and the 25 Bishops' Conferences of the Council of European Bishops Conferences (CCEE) rejoice in the wide representation from the churches and peoples of Europe. At the same time, we note with regret that no Christians residing in Albania were able to attend the Assembly. The decision of CEC followed the call of the Vancouver 1983 General Assembly of the World Council of Churches to its member churches to enter now into a "conciliar process of mutual commitment (covenant) for Justice, Peace and the Integrity of Creation". Most of the member churches of CEC understand the Basel Assembly also to be a contribution in this "conciliar process". Other churches taking part in the Assembly prefer not to use the term "conciliar process". But all the churches represented in Basel agree that they are committed to an ecumenical process for Justice, Peace and the Integrity of Creation.

The 2. European Ecumenical Assembly: "Reconciliation: a gift of God and a source of new life"

Representatives from all European Christian Churches gather in Graz, Austria on 23. - 29. June under the motto "Reconciliation: a gift of God and a source of new life". As well as the 700 delegates, a further 10,000 participants are expected. The assembly is being organised by the Conference of European Churches (KEK) and the Council of the European Bishops' Conference (CCEE). About 50 German delegates are being sent by the German member churches of the KEK / CCEE. 118 member churches from all the countries in Europe belong to the KEK, and the CCEE is composed of the 33 national and regional Catholic Bishops' Conferences in Europe. The first European Ecumenical Assembly took place in Basel in 1989. Numerous organisations, networks and groups from all over Europe will discuss the Assembly's motto in six theme areas. These concern the reconciliation between Churches, cultures, peoples and world religions. Also environmental subjects such as biological diversity and climatic changes will be handled, and a dialogue with other religions and cultures will be sought. It is planned that the Assembly will ratify a final statement. The main speakers at the event were the Russian Orthodox Patriarch Alexij II and the Catholicos of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Karekin I. Among those invited is the head of the Anglican Church, Archbishop George Carey.

The 3. European Ecumenical Assembly:The  light  of  Christ  shines  upon  all  –  hope  for renewal and unity in Europe.

The  EEA3  builds  on  two  other  assemblies,  which  took  place  in  Basel  (Switzerland)  in  1989  and  in  Graz  (Austria)  in  1997.  It  roots  in  the Charta  Oecumenica signed  in  Strasbourg  in  2001.   The  chosen  theme  for  this  meeting  is:  The  light  of  Christ  shines  upon  all  –  hope  for renewal and unity in Europe. This put the emphasis on Christ (John 8;12) and refer to the  symbol  of  light  so  important  in  the  eastern  and  western  Christian  tradition.  The  subtitle  has for object to emphasize the part that Christianity could play in Europe actually. First  stage: meeting  in  Rome  from  January  24th to  27th 2006;  160  Church  delegates,  from Episcopalians  Catholics  Conferences,  from  authority  or  ecumenical  movements  and  from ecclesiastic’s communities were present.  The second stage  enclose nationals and/or regional meetings in the second half-year in 2006  and  the  beginning  of  2007.  This  meeting’s  organization  will  be  attended  by  Churches and Conferences delegates of the welcoming country or area. The  third  stage

  will  take  place  in  Germany  in  Wittenberg-Lutherstadt,  in  January  2007  in the same way as it was in Rome. The  fourth  stage was  the  Sibiu’s  meeting  from  the  4th to  the  8th of  September  2007 gathering  3000  Churches  and  Catholics  Episcopalians  delegates  of  Europe. 

World Convocation on Justice, Peace and the Integrity of Creation , 1990

A World Council of Churches Convocation on "Justice, Peace and the Integrity of Creation" was held in Seoul, Republic of Korea, in March 1990 "to engage member churches in a conciliar process of mutual commitment to justice, peace and the integrity of creation." A set of ten affirmations was approved by the convocation for a process of covenanting:

• We affirm that all forms of human power and authority are subject to God and accountable to people. This means the right of people to full participation. In Christ, God decisively revealed the meaning of power as compassionate love that prevails over the forces of death.
• We affirm God's preferential option for the poor and state that as Christians our duty is to embrace God's action in the struggles of the poor in the liberation of us all.
• We affirm that people of every race, caste, and ethnic group are of equal value. In the very diversity of their cultures and traditions, they reflect the rich plurality of God's creation.
•  We affirm the creative power given to women to stand for life whenever there is death. In Jesus' community women find acceptance and dignity, and with them he shared the imperative to carry the good news.
• We affirm that access to truth and education, information, and means of communication are basic human rights. All people have the right to be educated, to tell their own stories, to speak their own convictions and beliefs, to be heard by others, and to have the power to distinguish truth from falsehood.
• We affirm the full meaning of God's peace. We are called to seek every possible means of establishing justice, achieving peace, and solving conflicts by active nonviolence.
• We affirm that the world, as God's handiwork, has its own inherent integrity; that land, waters, air, forests, mountains, and all creatures, including humanity, are "good" in God's sight. The integrity of creation has a social aspect, which we recognize as peace with justice, and an ecological aspect, which we recognize in the self-renewing, sustainable character of natural ecosystems.
• We affirm that the land belongs to God. Human use of land and waters should release the earth to replenish regularly its life-giving power, protecting its integrity and providing spaces for its creatures.
• We affirm the dignity of children that derives from their particular vulnerability and need for nurturing love; the creative and sacrificial role that the young people are playing in building a new society, recognizing their right to have a prophetic voice in the structures that affect their life and their community; the rights and needs of the younger generation as basic for establishing educational and developmental priorities.
• We affirm that human rights are God-given and that their promotion and protection are essential for freedom, justice, and peace. To protect and defend human rights, an independent judicial system is necessary.

NOW IS THE TIME for the ecumenical movement to articulate its vision of all people living on earth and caring for creation as a family where each member has the same right to wholeness of life. While this vision is spiritual in nature, it must be expressed in concrete action. On the basis of our spiritual experience here in Seoul we have committed ourselves to work for:

• a just economic order and for liberation from the foreign debt bondage,
• the true security of all nations and peoples and for a culture of non-violence;
• building a culture that can live in harmony with creation's integrity and for preserving the gift of the earth's atmosphere;
• the eradication of racism and discrimination on all levels for all people, and for the dismantling of patterns of behaviour that perpetuate the sin of racism.

In the 1970s, the WCC began to recognize the connections between justice, peace, and ecological sustainability. At the Vancouver Assembly in 1983, the WCC encouraged member churches to publicly commit to addressing environmental concerns as part of a common effort to promote Justice, Peace, and the Integrity of Creation, which became known as the JPIC process. In 1988, the WCC launched its Climate Change Program to promote the transformation of socioeconomic structures and personal lifestyle choices that contribute to global warming. In 1990, the WCC sponsored the World Convocation on Justice, Peace, and the Integrity of Creation in Seoul, Korea. Climate Change was at the center of one of four covenants at the Seoul convocation. At the Canberra Assembly in 1991 the WCC strongly affirmed the JPIC process, and a Justice, Peace, and Creation Unit was formed. That same year, the WCC initiated its Theology of Life Study, which drew on the experiences of twenty-two local groups from around the world, each reflecting on one of the ten affirmations made at the 1990 World Convocation on Justice, Peace, and the Integrity of Creation. The purpose of Study was to ground WCC theology more firmly in the lived experiences of local communities around the globe. The WCC strongly engaged with the preparatory process and the follow-up to the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) summit in Rio de Janeiro. It participated in all of the sessions of the United Nations (UN) Commission on Sustainable Development and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The WCC regularly addressed the delegates to the UNFCCC and organized seminars and worship services accompanying the events. In 1995, the WCC presented a petition with approximately 500,000 signatures to the UNFCCC in Bonn. In 1997, the coordinator of the WCC Climate Change Program, David Hallman, delivered a “justice statement” to a gathering of senior governmental officials at the summit on climate change in Kyoto, Japan. The current JPC team was formed during the restructuring of the WCC after the Harare Assembly in 1998. In 1999, issue sixteen of Echoes, published by the JPC team, was entitled, “The Earth as Mother,” and featured articles relating to the environment and Indigenous peoples in various parts of the globe. The WCC has also published study documents and books on issues related to climate change and sustainable development.

Source: November 2003: "JUSTICE, PEACE AND THE INTEGRITY OF CREATION". Author: D. PREMAN NILES)

• Introduction
• Laudato Si' Goals
• Laudato Si' Movement
• Action Platform
• Good Practise
• World Council of Churches
• Serving a Wounded World
• Ecumenical Voices
• Justice, Peace and the Care of Creation
• Lutherans and Laudato Si
• Laudato Si' Week
• Laudato Si' Revolution
• Laudato Si Reader
• Laudato Si Research
• Spirituality

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Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation

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Transforming Relationships

A focus for transforming relationships:   care for the earth, our common home, jpic news and updates, jpic resources and links.

“The pursuit of justice, peace and integrity of creation permeates all aspects of our lives. We want to include these in the criteria we use for discerning our relationships, ministries and commitments. In so doing, all our choices will be marked by Gospel values” (General Chapter 2008).  In this section, we share resources and links that may help us in our reflection and discernment.  

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Justice and the Integrity of Creation

Arc: The Journal of the School of Religious Studies

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Journal of Creation

Andrew Kulikovsky

The first paper in this three-part series discussed God's present work in creation and humanity's relationship with the created order. The second part expounded a Christian view of development and environmentalism. In this third and final paper, the ethics behind environmentalism are considered and a set of principles are proposed that can guide our decision-making when facing environmental challenges or when we are forced to compromise in relation to development projects and environmental issues. These ethical principles are then applied to a current environmental challenge: the perceived threat of "climate change".

Religion Compass

Whitney Bauman

The first paper in this series discussed God’s present work in creation and humanity’s relationship with the created order. This second part seeks to expound a Christian view of both development and environmentalism. Because of the Fall, humanity’s stewardship role has not ended, but it has become much more difficult. The Fall and its effects are not what God intended for His creation, and our stewardship role implies that we resist the Fall and reverse its effects. This means we must find ways to develop our environment and use the natural resources God has given us for our own benefit and the benefit of our fellow human beings. Such development and utilisation of resources does not mean or imply that pollution or other environmental damage are inevitable. Both common sense and our stewardship role require us to seek ways to develop the environment and use natural resources in sustainable ways. Sometimes, however, compromises must be made.

Religious Studies Review

Benjamin Burkholder

marco damonte

Warszawskie Studia Teologiczne

Markus Vogt

The essay formulates four criteria for identifying the topos “signs of the times” and applies them for a specific Christian understanding of the ecological crisis. The aim of the argumentation is to decide why and in what way climate change, ecological degradation but also the new awareness of the value of nature is a theological issue. The second part of the essay deals with the question which competence the churches can contribute to the ecological discourse of a pluralistic, partly secular or atheistic society. I speak also about the encyclical Laudato si’.

Tony Watling

This essay is concerned with “religion and ecology,” or religious environmentalism. It analyzes how religious traditions are used to understand and interact with the environment and environmental issues, suggesting wass of relating to these that are different from and possibly less destructive and ecologically harmful than those of the modern secular worldview. It argues that religious traditions may thereby be gaining new private and public relevance, while perhaps also being changed in the process, becoming more envrionmentally friendly and ecumenical. The article ethnographically and qualitatively analyzes a “field of religion and ecology” comprising ecologically minded academics ansd representatives of various religious traditions who promote such ideas, stimulating new eco-spiritualities and theologies, possibly even a new eco-religious movement. It also explores the environmental reintepretation of several religious traditions within the field, highlighting not only some influential images and views but also any commonalities or convergences that may be arising or are being encouraged between them.

Asian Horizons

Ingeborg Gabriel

Grave ecological damages threatening our planet and human lives are side effects of ambivalent technological progress and an overuse of resources by a consumer culture of a growing world population of 8 billion. They also must be attributed, however, to a one-sided worldview of mastery and greed requiring ethical as well as spiritual responses. The article starts with an analysis of the biblical creation narratives arguing that they are hardly responsible for present day ecological catastrophes stemming from a different time and cultural context. It rather is the predominance of a scientific mindset with its subject-object dichotomy that regards nature as useable matter only, without worth of its own. This ideology needs to be corrected. Romantic holism and evolutionism further reduce the human sense of responsibility required to mitigate damages already done. Ecological laws and regulations are of importance, but need to be founded in a new worldview. For this "cultural revolution" (Laudato si' 142) Christian ethics should rediscover basic virtues as a sense of humility visa -vis the given reality as of measure and most of all gratitude for creation and its beauty of which humans are but a part.

Theology in Scotland

Lina Toth (Andronoviene)

The co-editors reflect briefly on what has historically been a complex relationship between ecology and the Christian faith before giving an overview of the issue's contents. Also included is a word of introduction from the journal's new Editor, Dr Lina Toth.

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Article contents

Justice, peace and the integrity of creation: a role for communication.

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 February 2024

One aspect of modernity which is of particular theological significance, and whose existence is intimately linked to the twentieth century’s distance-shrinking communications networks, is our new awareness of the sheer diversity of human religiousness. Those who live in a world where TV, radio and the press are commonplace features of a sophisticated media environment, cannot be blind to the fact that different people believe different things. This simple insight has profound implications for the way in which we formulate our theologies, communicate with each other and treat the natural world which is our common home.

Many theologians and philosophers have begun to acknowledge the quantum shift in thinking which the contemporary experience of religious pluralism demands. Langdon Gilkey, for example, considers the encounter with other religions to be ‘the most important new issue confronting Christian theology at the present time’. Wilfred Cantwell Smith predicts that ‘the religious life of mankind from now on, if it is to be lived at all, will be lived in a context of religious pluralism’. And Ninian Smart has suggested that ‘the earth has become in our time more or less a planet, a single globe. It is now a kind of city, the geopolis’ where the different faiths are brought into inevitable contact with each other.

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1 Langdon , Gilkey . ‘ God ’, in Peter , Hodgson & Robert , King (eds) Christian Theology, an Introduction to its Traditions and Tasks , London : 1983 : p. 85 Google Scholar .

2 Wilfred , Cantwell Smith , The Faith of Other Men , New York : 1963 : p. 11 Google Scholar .

3 Ninian , Smart , Beyond Ideology, Religion and the Future of Western Civilization , London : 1981 : p. 21 Google Scholar .

4 Ibid., p.22.

5 Ibid., p.33.

6 Quoted in Norman , Myers (ed) The Gaia Atlas of Planet Management , London : 1985 : p. 159 Google Scholar .

7 Many Voices. One World is. of course. the title of the report of the International Commission for the Study of Communication Problems which was published in 1980. One would hope that any debate about justice, peace and the integrity of creation would take place in the light of an awareness of the report’s recommendations for ‘a new, more just and more efficient world information and communications order’.

8 John , Dewey , Democracy and Education , New York : 1966 : p. 4 Google Scholar .

9 ‘Over 50% of the population of the world live in areas where Buddhism has. at some time been the dominant religious force.’ L.S. Cousins, ‘Buddhism’ in John R. Hinnells (ed) A Handbook of Living Religions , Harmondsworth: 1985 p.278. An English translation of the parable of the poisoned arrow occurs in Whitfield , Foy (ed), Man’s Religious Quest , London : 1978 pp. 216 – 219 Google Scholar . The story is taken from the Mijjhima Nikaya I: 427–432.

10 Gaia Atlas , op. cit., p. 153.

11 William F. Fore, ‘The “Narrow Bridge” to Community’, in Media Development , Special Congress Issue (on ‘Communication and Theological Education’), October 1989, p.37.

12 Gaia Atlas , op. cit., p.159.

13 Marshall , McLuhan . Understanding Media , London : 1964 : p. 124 Google Scholar .

14 Gaia Atlas , op. cit., p.159

15 Ibid., p.21.

16 Paul Soukup, ‘Changing the Way Communication is Taught in Seminaries’, Media Development . Special Congress Issue, October 1989, p.3. My emphasis.

17 See my ‘Learning to be Responsible for the Media Environment’, Media Development , Special Congress Issue, October 1989, pp.10–12.

18 Many Voices, One World, Towards a New, More Just and More Efficient World Information and Communication Order , London: 1988 (first published 1980): p.3.

19 Karl Marx, ‘Theses on Fuerbach’. in K. Marx and F. Engels on Religion, Moscow: undated: p.12.

20 Huston , Smith , The Purposes of Higher Education , New York : 1955 : pp. 36 – 37 Google Scholar .

21 These facts are gleaned from the Gaia Atlas , a veritable sourcebook of theologically relevant information.

22 See Hans Eckehard-Bahr, ‘Biblical Literacy in Book-Weary Europe’, Media Development , Special Congress Issue, p.31.

23 ‘ Towards an Ecumenical Theological Affirmation on Justice, Peace and the Integrity of Creation ’. First Draft WCC Discussion Paper for the World Convocation.

24 Media Development , Special Congress Issue (on ‘Communication and Theological Education’), October 1989.

25 John Dewey, op. cit., p.5.

26 Gaia Atlas , op. cit., pp. 207 & 214.

27 Media Development Special Congress Issue, p. 1.

28 The Decameron is, of course, the title of Giovanni Boccaccio’s classic work containing a hundred tales, which are supposed to be told in a hundred days. The Decameron tells the story of a group of ten survivors from plague stricken Florence who flee the city when it is ravaged by the Black Death in 1348. To amuse themselves and take their minds off the epidemic, members of the group tell each other stories.

29 Two recent efforts to bring to wider hearing the many voices of humankind’s religious concern for creation are (1) The New Road . the bulletin of the World Wildlife Fund’s Network on Conservation and Religion. The New Road was launched to coincide with the WWF’s 25th Anniversary events held in Assisi in September 1986; (2) the 1989 Shap Working Party’s publication on ‘World Religions in Education’ is devoted to the theme Humankind and the Environment . and contains contributions from representatives of many faiths.

30 Alfred , North Whitehead , The Aims of Education & Other Essays , London : 1962 : p. 23 Google Scholar .

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• Volume 72, Issue 846
• Chris Arthur
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-2005.1991.tb07144.x

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The mission of Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation is to assist the professed Secular Franciscans as they reflect on their relationship with God as manifested in the fruits of conversion in their lives. This with special regard to the daily choices made in the areas of justice, peace making and respect for all created things and people; as brothers and sisters of penance, bringing life to the Gospel and the Gospel to Life.

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Mindful that they are bearers of peace which must be built up unceasingly, they should seek out ways of unity and fraternal harmony through dialogue, trusting in the presence of the divine seed in everyone and in the transforming power of love and pardon. Messengers of perfect joy in every circumstance, they should strive to bring joy and hope to others. (Article 19)

Let them individually and collectively be in the forefront in promoting justice by the testimony of their human lives and their courageous initiatives. Especially in the field of public life, they should make definite choices in harmony with their faith. (Article 15)

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Our brother Francis, of all the great saints, unreservedly embraced Jesus, the Word made flesh. If our great and majestic God could wholly and lovingly become one with the created world through Jesus Christ, how could Francis and his brothers and sisters not do likewise?

Francis believed that Christ and the gospel called him to be one with all people and all Creation. For followers of Francis, this universal and all-inclusive kinship demands resistance to injustice, exploitation and all oppression that mock what God so lovingly expressed through the life, ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus.

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“I repeat forcefully: it is neither a culture of confrontation nor a culture of conflict which builds harmony within and between peoples, but rather a culture of encounter and a culture of dialogue; this is the only way to peace. May the plea for peace rise up and touch the heart of everyone so that they may lay down their weapons and be let themselves be led by the desire for peace.” Pope Francis (9/1/13)

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2024 Season of Creation: We Are The Seeds of Hope

September 12th, 2024

2024 Season of Creation

2024: what is the ‘season of creation’ — by bishop michael pfeifer, omi, bishop emeritus of the diocese of san angelo, letter of the superior general: 2023 world day of prayer for the care of creation, 2024: season of creation reflections: “to hope & act with creation” by maurice lange , jpic director, presentation sisters, learn more about the climate issues by visiting these websites:.

Season of Creation   Invites you to use these resources and share them with your church, pastor or other regional authority to join the Season of Creation, and even spread the word to local media.

Laudato Si Movement The Laudato Si Movement works within the Catholic Church to better care for our common home.

Catholic Climate Covenant Catholic Climate Covenant inspires and equips people and institutions to care for creation and care

Creation Justice Ministries Seeks justice for God’s planet and God’s people

Interfaith Power & Light Interfaith Power & Light (DC.MD.NoVA) works with hundreds of congregations of all faiths across Maryland, DC, and Northern Virginia to save energy, go green, and respond to climate change. Together, they are building a religious response to the climate crisis.

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Related keywords: 2024 Season of Creation , bishop michael pfeifer omi , climate action , climate encyclical , Feast of St. Francis of Assisi , Hope & Act for Creation , Laudato Si , maurice lange

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