Young Methodists Plant Churches With Environmental Gospel
Mark Oppenheimer, The New York Times
“We don’t talk about the environment every week, but what we built into the liturgy is the understanding that everything we have is a gift,” Mr. Kerzee said. “Our church is committed to using fewer resources, so we have nothing to throw away each night. No paper plates, no bulletin. We compost our food. All of this, along with the fact that we don’t have a building, is built around a desire to consume less and be kind to the earth.”
Pope Francis’ environmental impact examined
Joel Banner Baird, Burlington Free Press
Released in June, the Pope’s encyclical appeal for “Care of Creation” has a political agenda, elaborated John Allen, an associate editor of the Boston Globe and a regular commentator on the Catholic Church.“Francis himself has applied an objective, empirical standard for success or failure,” Allen said Tuesday. “He said he wanted this encyclical to be out over the summer because he wanted it to have an impact on the U.N. climate change summit in Paris in early December.”
Holy Lobbying: Climate, Abortion in Spotlight for Pope’s Visit
Kate Ackley, Roll Call
In short, the pontiff’s first-ever visit to the United States is turning into a major opportunity for the influence set. No matter the steep legislative odds that lobbyists and activists might face, they say the pope has the potential power to catapult their priorities to the top of the agenda in Washington and around the world.
Environmental Evangelist’: Keep Politics Out Of Climate Change
Kiko Martinez, San Antonio Current
In anticipation of her visit to San Antonio on Friday for the Land Heritage Institute’s 2015 Art-Sci Symposium, [Katharine] Hayhoe, whose talk is entitled Climate Change: Facts, Fictions & What it Means to Texas, spoke to the San Antonio Current on Monday about whether or not her research as a scientist clashes with her evangelical beliefs, Pope Francis’ recent encyclical on the environment and why snowballs on the Senate floor aren’t bringing her down.
Talking Frankly about the environment
Bryan Maxwell, North Carolina State University Technician
Unfortunately, not all great thoughts circulate as quickly as they should, or even as quickly as not-so-great thoughts. If you follow the news, you might be more up-to-date on Trump’s run for presidency or Kardashian’s post pregnancy than some powerful words that came out of the Catholic Church this summer. For those who hadn’t heard, the widely adored, similarly feared and no doubt controversial Pope Francis came forward with a statement on his and the church’s stance on the environment. The papal encyclical he delivered this summer delivers a challenging and deeply moving argument for being more concerned about our environment. I’d encourage anyone to read it, but for those who don’t have the time to read the 170 pages in full, I’ll summarize as best I can in the shortness of an opinion column.
Jesuit, scholar offer simple advice for approaching ‘Laudato Si’’
Christina Gray, Catholic San Francisco
“First, read it in its entirety –very few Catholics have,” Jesuit Father John Coleman told the audience of over 300 that packed Xavier Hall to hear scholar Mary Evelyn Tucker speak on what the pope calls “integral ecology.”
“This encyclical is like rain for parched land, for desert souls,” said Tucker, a leading voice in the developing field of religion and ecology.
McFarland Center to Host Talks on Climate Change, WMDs and Justice for Children
Danielle Kane, College of the Holy Cross
Lectures and discussions at the College of the Holy Cross this fall will take on trending topics such as the Pope’s encyclical on climate change, the abolition of weapons of mass destruction, and ways to teach justice and create equal opportunity for underprivileged children.
Savannah’s Catholic Lawyers Guild to observe Pope Francis’ visit Sept. 24
Jan Skutch, Savannah Now
The Catholic Lawyers Guild will host a presentation on Pope Francis’ recent Papal Encyclical, Laudato Si: On Care for Our Common Home, at noon, September 24, at the Catholic Pastoral Center, 2170 E. Victory Dr. Savannah attorney and guild member Clete Bergen, will be the presenter. The document, known as the “environmental encyclical”, addresses environmental degradation, consumerism, irresponsible development and climate change.