- “Only man and woman, among all creatures, were made by
God 'in his own image' (Gen 1,27)....The biblical vision inspires the
behaviour of Christians in relation to their use of the earth, and also
with regard to the advances of science and technology....“A
correct understanding of the environment prevents the utilitarian
reduction of nature to a mere object to be manipulated and exploited. At
the same time, it must not absolutize nature and place it above the
dignity of the human person himself….
“Christian culture has always recognized the creatures that surround man as also gifts of God to be nurtured and safeguarded with a sense of gratitude to the Creator....
“nature is not a sacred or divine reality that man must leave alone. Rather, it is a gift offered by the Creator to the human community….
“the goods of the earth were created by God to be used wisely by all. They must be shared equitably, in accordance with justice and charity....
“The close link that exists between the development of the poorest countries, demographic changes and a sustainable use of the environment must not become a pretext for political and economic choices that are at variance with the dignity of the human person….
"Although it is true that an uneven distribution of the population and of available resources creates obstacles to development and a sustainable use of the environment, it must nonetheless be recognized that demographic growth is fully compatible with an integral and shared development….
“Inadequate access to safe drinking water affects the well-being of a huge number of people and is often the cause of disease, suffering, conflicts, poverty and even death....the right to safe drinking water is a universal and inalienable right.
- "lifestyles should be inspired by sobriety, temperance, and self-discipline at both the individual and social levels”
"a
correct understanding of the relationship between man and the
environment will not end by absolutizing nature or by considering it
more important than the human person. If the Church's magisterium
expresses grave misgivings about notions of the environment inspired by
ecocentrism and biocentrism, it is because such notions eliminate the
difference of identity and worth between the human person and other
living things. In the name of a supposedly egalitarian vision of the
'dignity' of all living creatures, such notions end up abolishing the
distinctiveness and superior role of human beings. They also open the
way to a new pantheism tinged with neo-paganism, which would see the
source of man's salvation in nature alone, understood in purely
naturalistic terms"
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