On the occasion of the Season of Creation 2023, we publish an extract of the article by Br. Giuseppe Buffon, OFM,
In Gubbio in 1982, on the occasion of the Eighth Centenary of the birth of Francis of Assisi, for the first time the ecological movements, in the name of the Poet of the Song, attempted to involve the Catholic Church in their heartfelt commitment to safeguarding the environment.
The seminar they organized on science and religion in the face of the ecological crisis, entitled "Terra Mater"(Mother Earth), enjoyed vast communicative success, attracting the attention of the entire national sociopolitical range, without mentioning the feedback on an international level. […]
In the Angelus of the 3rd October 1982, Pope St. John Paul II, precisely by referring to the Gubbio seminary, surprised everyone with statements that not only seemed to overturn those of Laborem exercens, but which dared to indicate respect for nature as an instrument of social reform, as a viaticum for peaceful coexistence, as a path to peace:
Tomorrow is the feast of Saint Francis, and with this date the eighth centenary of his birth ends. In the light of the extraordinary testimony of love for God and all his creatures, offered by Saint Francis, I would like to extend a special greeting to those who participated in the "Terra Mater" Seminar in recent days, held in Gubbio. It has rightly been underlined that the future of humanity and planet Earth is in danger due to the deterioration of the relationship between man and the environment, as well as the relationships between people, classes and nations. It is necessary and urgent that, following the example of the Poverello-Poor man, we decide to abandon reckless forms of domination-custody towards all creatures. By getting used to loving and respecting inferior creatures, man will also learn to be more human with his equals. I am happy, therefore, to encourage and bless those who work to ensure that animals, plants and minerals are considered and treated, in a Franciscan way, as "brothers and sisters".
In reality, Pope St. John Paul II, precisely on the occasion of Peace Day in 1990 (Peace with God the Creator, peace with all creation), would have drawn attention to the connection between ecology and peace, between care for creatures and commitment to the construction of peace:
In our days there is a growing awareness that world peace is threatened not only by the arms race, by regional conflicts and by the injustices still existing among peoples and nations, but also by the lack of due respect for nature, by the disorderly exploitation of its resources and the progressive deterioration of the quality of life. This situation generates a sense of precariousness and insecurity, which in turn favours forms of collective selfishness, hoarding and abuse.
Pope St. John Paul II had already distinguished himself for particular attention to the theme of peace. And, even subjecting himself to the risk of criticism from prominent representatives of the Catholic Church, he had dared to summon representatives of the major religions to the homeland of St. Francis for prayers in favour of peace. It was the 27th October, 1986. A month earlier, on the 29th September, inspired by the meeting in Gubbio, the exponents of religions and scientists from the ecological movements had met, again in Assisi, for an alliance in favour of the protection of natural environment.
This event, unlike the day for peace, which had sparked mobilization in the name of the so-called Spirit of Assisi, went almost unnoticed, as if the environmental crisis were less serious than the social one and, above all, as if there was no difference between the two. No connection. […]
The signing of a joint commitment between the Great Mosque of Rome and the Antonianum University for the launch of an energy community in favor of peace, to "make energy for peace", on the 13th March 2023, the tenth anniversary of the election of Pope Francis, it had precisely the aim of avoiding the divorce between environmentalism and pacifism because, as Pope Francis himself states, the crisis is unique, indeed, it is a crisis precisely because thought is polluted by harmful dichotomies, precisely because conflict prevails over unity, the sense of reality is disturbed by polarizing ideologies.
Br. Giuseppe Buffon, OFM, Professor of History and Integral Ecology of the Faculty of Theology of the Pontifical Antonianum University of Rome.
