Sacramento—Pope Francis declared today an annual “World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation.” The declaration by the Holy See marked the Catholic Church’s first day of prayer for creation notched up the Pope’s profile as an advocate for the environment and his willingness to delve into the contentious political debate over climate action. In June, the leader of 1.2 billion Catholics worldwide released his Papal Encyclical on climate change, which urged policy makers to act with urgency to enact laws to reduce pollution from carbon dioxide and other dangerous emissions.
On Monday, Sacramento Bishop Jaime Soto, president of the California Catholic Conference, and Stockton Bishop Stephen Blaire, chairman of its environmental committee, brought the Pope’s message of urgent action to the Capitol with a forum titled “Dialogue on our Common Home & its Ecological Future.” The dialogue focused on the “Laudato Si” Papal Encyclical and its relevance on developing climate-change and clean energy policies.
The Encyclical is a document with many messages, but its most important might be that man is not separate from nature but a part of it, Senate President pro Tempore Kevin de León (D-Los Angeles) said Monday at the Legislative discussion: “We are not separate from nature,” he said. “We are a part of nature. Ancient cultures understood what modern man has forgotten or chooses to ignore.”
At a press conference earlier in the day (VIDEO), Bishop Blaire said the Pope calls on policymakers to act now while considering the Encyclical when drafting laws and regulations: “There is an urgent need to develop policies so that in the next few years so the emission of carbon dioxide and other highly polluting gases can be drastically reduced," the Encyclical states.
Said Bishop Soto at the Forum: “In his Encyclical, Pope Francis places the poor and the marginalized at the center of renewing the face of the Earth.” He added, “Pope Francis also reminds us of our moral responsibility to be stewards of the common good of creation, as well as brothers and sisters of one human family with room at the table for everyone.”
Bishop Blaire also said there are no easy answers when it comes to the environment, “These issues have very real implications for people’s jobs and how they sustain their families. That’s why we have to promote respectful dialogue,” he said. “We have to have mercy on each other, to acknowledge that we are all responsible for the current state situation and that solutions won’t come from finger-pointing.”
In welcoming those in attendance, Senator De León noted that the Encyclical is not a policy document but it is a political call to action. “It urges us as policy makers to muster the courage necessary engage our selfless responsibility,” he said.
Senator De León is the author of SB 350, which aims to spur innovation and investment in a clean-energy economy by generating half of electricity from renewable sources, doubling efficiency in existing buildings, and reducing petroleum demand in vehicles by 50 percent – all by the year 2030.
In the past, the Senator De León authored legislation that strives to protect the environment and expand access to clean energy in poor communities. This includes SB 535 which directs at least 25% of cap-and-trade revenue to communities disproportionately impacted by pollution, SB 1275 which expanded the rebate program for electric cars to low-income families, and AB 31 which has since built over 100 new parks in communities lacking green and open space.
#LaudatoSi #ActOnClimate