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CATHOLICS HIGHLIGHT MORAL IMPERATIVE OF CLIMATE ACTION IN 40 DAY FAST
In a chain of one-day fasts sweeping the globe, Catholics will come together this Lent to raise awareness of climate change. Organised by the Global Catholic Climate Movement, the 40-day fast will begin in Peru and end up in Botswana, moving through 45 countries including Nigeria Japan, Mexico and Hungary. The Lenten-fast is part of the 365 day ‘Fast for the Climate’, running from the 1st December 2014 to the 30th November 2015 -- when governments will meet in Paris for the next round of the UN climate talks. Climate-fasters are also encouraged to take part in a ‘carbon fast’, cutting down on their use of fossil fuels and reduce waste. This show of solidarity by Catholic groups around the world comes as Pope Francis continues to highlight the moral imperative for climate action, most recently telling Christians that they must be the “protectors of Creation”. His latest comments foreshadow his long-awaited Encyclical - or church document - which is expected to warn that climate action is “essential to the faith.
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KEY POINTS
- Across the world, Catholics are highlighting the moral imperative of climate change. Fasting carries particular significance for Christians during Lent—an act of remembrance of the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert—and this year the Global Catholic Climate Movement will be using the period to highlight the threat of climate change. The move comes as Pope Francis warns Christians they must be the “protectors of Creation,” in his latest dive into the climate issue ahead of his long-awaited climate Encyclical.
- The call for climate leadership is growing stronger and more diverse. Faith groups are joining the countless local communities, business leaders, major investors, and leading scientists around the world who are already driving the transition to a low-carbon, climate-safe future, and calling on their leaders to follow in their footsteps. Governments now face a choice: they can do nothing and fall behind as millions take action, or they can rise to the challenge and help speed up the ongoing transition towards a safe and prosperous future for all.
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TOOLS AND RESOURCES
KEY QUOTES
- "[We must be] careful not to become masters of Creation, but to make it go forward, faithful to its laws… This is the first response to the work of God: to be protectors of Creation. When we hear that people have meetings about how to preserve creation, we can say: 'No, they are the greens!' No, they are not the greens! This is the Christian! This is 'our response to the' first creation 'of God. And' our responsibility. A Christian who does not protect Creation, who does not let it grow, is a Christian who does not care about the work of God, that work that was born from the love of God for us. And this is the first response to the first creation: protect creation, make it grow." - Pope Francis
- "Uniting people of all faiths is the principle that we are called upon to be good and responsible stewards of God's creation. That’s why I’m glad to join the Global Catholic Climate Movement and fast with people of faith from all across the United States on March 16th to raise awareness about the dangers of climate change." - Martin O’Malley the former Governor of Maryland
- “The power behind fasting lies in its purity of purpose and the sense of selflessness necessary to embark on fasting. This is the power of the fast—because it is meant for our aspirations of a better world.” - Yeb Saño, Climate Commissioner from the Philippines
- “It is important that we call for a strong climate agreement that keeps global temperatures to 1.5 °C - this threshold was in the first three Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) assessments and also in the IPCC Fifth Assessment report (AR5). A world even at 1.5°C will mean more severe droughts, flooding and sea level rise, increasing the risk of damage from storm surges and crop loss, as well as food and water security issues. Vulnerable coastal communities across the world especially need to be protected.” - Jacqui Rémond, Executive Director of Catholic Earthcare Australia
- "Climate change is the greatest environmental and ecological challenge we face over the next century. For centuries fasts have served as important acts of personal and community conscious raising. This fast reminds us that we have a duty to be stewards to preserve and restore our world, by doing so we will ensure a healthy environment for our future generations and particularly for our most vulnerable - children, seniors, and people living in poverty." - US Congresswoman, Rosa DeLauro
- “Amidst our busy, consumption led lives - fasting during Lent is a great opportunity to reflect and abstain. The GCCM Lenten Fast also includes the option to do a carbon fast. This gives us a great opportunity to think about the food itself, how it is grown, how much water is used, how it is transported and then packaged. It always shocks me the amount of emissions that are involved.” -Ciara Shannon, coordinator of Our Voices in Asia
RELATED ALERTS
MORE TWEETS
- MT @tcktcktck Pope warns Christians have a responsibility to protect "creation". Foreshadowing climate encyclical? bit.ly/1AkJ5Kg
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