Search Results (5)

“Church’s law is first and foremost lex libertatis”—this proclamation by Pope Benedict XVI (2008) inspired the author, a Catholic canonist, to attempt an aspectual reflection on the question of the quality and relevance in Ecclesia of contemporary legislation, keeping in mind the universal (ecumenical) goal of Church law: salus animarum. For in the face of today’s “signs of the times”, it is impossible to avoid the question of how, in legislating this law, interpreting and applying it, to safeguard and optimize the operability of communion bonds (bonum commune) along with the realization of subjective rights (bonum personae)? It is necessary to ask what contemporary proposals for legislative activity can serve to stimulate “organic development in the life […] of the ecclesial society and of the individual persons who belong to it” (John Paul II)? The inescapable context for this reflection today is the epochal enunciation, according to some, of Pope Francis “it is clear that ecumenical dialogue […] enriches canon law”. In the author’s opinion, the last decade has brought two interesting answers to the questions formulated above. The two “ecumenical enterprises”—to use Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew’s apt phrase—“fill the historical juridical deficit”; especially since theologians and jurists from different traditions have not yet worked together to demonstrate the ecumenical potential of church law. The results of this work—offering original methodologies—are the idea of “receptive ecumenism”, by Catholic canonist Paul Murray, and Norman Doe’s project, culminating in the Statement of Principles of Christian Law, produced by the International Panel of Experts. Both “ecumenical enterprises” give new impetus to ecumenical initiatives, but also, according to Francis’ quoted words, carry with them the potential to enrich church law and serve its renewal. Full article

With the 2015 publication of his encyclical letter Laudato Si’: On Care for Our Common Home, Pope Francis emerged as a leading religious voice (alongside Patriarch Bartholomew) advocating for ecological justice and environmental sustainability. This remarkable exercise of global leadership has demonstrably influenced subsequent discourse, activism and deliberations on the environment, including the Paris Agreement of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 21) in December 2015. In order to advance the collective understanding of the diagnosis of the environmental crisis and the prescriptions for change presented by Pope Francis in this teaching document, this essay examines key terms, claims and conceptual tools presented in its pages. This essay opens with a pointed analysis of the historical context within which this particular religious contribution to environmental justice proceeds. It closes by tracing certain key outcomes and ongoing impacts of the contribution of Pope Francis to this area of social concern. Full article

This paper theoretically examines and empirically assesses the ethical statements by Pope Francis and Patriarch Bartholomew in terms of their ability to achieve global environmental sustainability. The theological discussion of environmental precepts in documents/speeches based on the recent academic literature suggests that (absolute feasibility) Pope Francis pursues unfeasible environmental and social goals (personal fulfillment, poverty reduction, population growth), whereas Patriarch Bartholomew pursues feasible environmental goals (meeting God’s will, following God’s law); (relative feasibility) Pope Francis suggests unclear and inconsistent values, whereas Patriarch Bartholomew suggests clear and consistent values; (absolute reliability) Pope Francis relies on many instruments close to alternative attitudes to the environment (happy sobriety, contemplative style, human rights), whereas Patriarch Bartholomew rests on few instruments close to unambiguous concerns for the environment (happiness from sanctity, ascetism, duties to community); (relative reliability) Pope Francis suggests broad behavioral rules, whereas Patriarch Bartholomew suggests targeted behavioral rules. The statistical analysis of documents/speeches as if they are environmental regulations (using “sin”) based on dynamic panel data shows that Patriarch Bartholomew > Pope Francis in absolute feasibility; Patriarch Bartholomew > Pope Francis in relative feasibility; Pope Francis > Patriarch Bartholomew in absolute reliability; and Patriarch Bartholomew > Pope Francis in relative reliability. Pope Francis and Patriarch Bartholomew together reduced the global average per capita use of the Earth’s resources by 5% per year. Full article

In environmental circles, there is an increasing awareness of the Orthodox tradition, largely thanks to the speeches and initiatives of Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople. Less widely known is the considerable body of other Orthodox writing, which is less concerned with specific ecological problems, but addresses in greater depth the theological themes found in his pronouncements. This paper looks at the continuing development of Orthodox thinking in this area, and the increasing tendency to go deep into the sources of Orthodox tradition—theological, ascetic, liturgical, and hagiographic—to address underlying questions of the spiritual significance of the material world and the rôle of man within God’s purposes for it. It takes as examples four themes: the unity of creation and divine presence; cosmic liturgy/eucharist and ‘priest of creation’; ‘ecological sin’; and asceticism. It concludes that the Orthodox tradition goes beyond the dichotomy of man and nature to offer a ‘deeper ecology’ in which the physical interrelations between creatures are set within the divine economy for all creation. Full article

Leaders of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam have publicly advocated action to mitigate the adverse effects of human-forced climate change. Particularly prominent prior to, during, and after the 21st Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change were Rabbi Arthur Waskow, Pope Francis, and Patriarch Bartholomew. Also prominent was a group of Islamic clerics, leaders of organizations, and scholars who collaborated in issuing a declaration on climate change three months prior to COP 21. Informed by the Earth sciences, these leaders shared their faith-based rationales for acting locally to internationally as indicated in the documents explored in this article. Examples of organizations motivated by their leaders’ faith perspectives demonstrate their readiness to act informed by scientists. To work effectively, these religious leaders and activist groups require well-substantiated conclusions from data collected to counter unsubstantiated claims by climate skeptics. Earth scientists will find among the religious leaders and groups allies in the quest for a flourishing planet. Full article