As we near the end of the Season of Creation, Bishop John Arnold, Lead Bishop for the Environment for the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, has reiterated that caring for the created world is an integral aspect of being Catholic.
“We know a lot of damage is being done the environment. We are people of faith and we have to make sure that we’re not just observing the damage being done, but we are actually doing something to repair it,” he said. “Care for the environment is fundamentally part of our faith. God has entrusted us as stewards with the care of creation and we’ve got to make sure that the way that we live our lives in some way not only enhances the environment, but repairs some of the damage that has been done.”
Bishop Arnold reserved special praise for the Season of Creation, Pope Francis’ month-long climate initiative that takes place in September each year.
“The theme this year ‘to hope and act with creation’, which is so important in understanding that we have a direct role, a practical role to play in mending the damage that we’ve done,” he said. “This is a time for us to consider carefully how we can amend our daily routines and do something which will be more enhancing for our world rather than damaging to it.”
When asked how Catholics in England and Wales are working together to address the environmental challenges, Bishop Arnold said:
“Whether we look to our schools or parishes, we can see that people are learning ways in which they can make a direct change in the way they live their lives – eating less meat, saving water and electricity, avoiding unnecessary waste, not throwing food away, but making sure that we consume what we actually buy as food.”
Bishop Arnold will visit the Vatican at the start of October to highlight environmental concerns and to discuss the ‘Guardians of Creation’ project that we have in England and Wales. The invitation came from His Excellency Chris Trott, the British Ambassador to the Holy See. The group will meet with officials from the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, and also with Cardinal Peter Turkson, Chancellor of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences.
“There will be a number of other ambassadors from different nations gathered together in Rome, and we’ll be meeting with Cardinal Turkson and with Sister Alessandra Smerilli,” said Bishop Arnold.
“We will be exchanging information and hopefully promoting some good practice for the ways in which we can tackle the environment and the damage we’ve done to it, and also set realistic targets for repairing the damage and changing the way that we live.
“It’s an important forum, and I must say I’m so pleased that Ambassador Trott wants to bring us together for these discussions.”
Summing up the Christian call to be good custodians of the planet, Bishop Arnold pointed to the climate landscape in the UK and how we all need to take responsibility, individually and collectively, to bring about change.
“Caring for our common home is a clear priority. We can see all around us the effects of climate change… Even here in the United Kingdom, we’ve seen floods and droughts, we’ve even seen wildfires. There are real implications – even for us. But around the world, there have been the most appalling climate change events, really damaging, costing many lives and livelihoods.
“We must make sure that this becomes a priority in all that we’re doing, politically and through our industries and in our own individual and private lives. We can make a difference, and as Pope Francis says, each and every one of us has our part to play.”
You can watch Bishop John Arnold’s full message here or on our YouTube channel.
