Finally, (some) US dioceses are taking the pope's climate message seriously

[shrike3]

CATHOLIC AND ORTHODOX CHRISTIANITY SAFE HAVEN. PLEASE READ OUR RULES BEFORE COMMENTING.

https://www.ncronline.org/opinion/editorial/editorial-finally-some-us-dioceses-are-taking-popes-climate-message-seriously?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR3hGVDq_18Y2VVxBp4W9tupXFFAXAgMR69XeIUmLO8VK-oigVVqJdeaJnc_aem_AXLocxTam5sDvr0SIC1Fds-0hEgYJSQ7vDCPyaZhZ-UE7JgIsJzYrUz1swVoHGTzp4sQbIrrjTOLpnQjpDRr59Ge

Nine years after the publication of Pope Francis' encyclical "Laudato Si', on Care for Our Common Home," four years following the announcement of the Vatican-led Laudato Si' Action Platform and six months since the release of Francis' apostolic exhortation "on the climate crisis," Laudate Deum, Catholics in the United States are beginning to see the type of clear, tangible and decisive climate action for which the pope has called.

SNIP

The latest encouraging news came from the Diocese of Lexington, in the middle of Kentucky coal country, when on April 23 Bishop John Stowe announced his diocese has committed to achieving net-zero emissions by 2030. As reported for EarthBeat by NCR environment correspondent Brian Roewe, they've assembled an 11-member task force of diocesan officials and business leaders of major industries in the area, including Toyota and Lexmark.

It's a bold goal from an unlikely region of the country, but the apparent enthusiasm surrounding the initiative goes to show what might be possible when leadership prioritizes climate issues and engages the community in pursuing solutions together. Some might even call it an exercise in synodality, an organizational process that rests on the type of mutual listening and collaboration many people weren't sure the U.S. church hierarchy was capable of practicing. And yet, it's precisely the approach demanded by an integral ecology that recognizes the connectedness of all creation and every facet of a community with a focus on the common good.

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And despite reports earlier this year that even some U.S. bishops themselves feel the U.S. church is failing on the pope's climate goals (an opinion NCR has also often expressed within our editorial pages), it does seem that at least some diocesan leadership is ready to rise to the challenge and might be interested in that roadmap.

[calimary]

1. Slowly they turn. Step by step. Inch by inch.

[rpannier]

2. Applause

Only way I would have liked it better were if it had been the Bishop of Niagara (or Niagara Falls) -- if the post exists

[calimary]

3. Shit! You're right!

I forgot the “Niagara Falls” part!

[shrike3]

4. Don't quite get the reference.

[rpannier]

5. Three Stooges

[shrike3]

6. Not a Three Stooges fan. Which is why I didn't get the reference.

Last edited Sun May 5, 2024, 09:57 AM - Edit history (2)

[calimary]

7. Well, if you ever feel like getting in a slap-happy mood,

Last edited Tue May 7, 2024, 11:45 AM - Edit history (1)

they might be just the thing - or maybe not.

(And don’t worry if you laugh and then get embarrassed. Happens to a lot of us… ) - um - upon reflection, more like cringeworthy. My apologies.



I’ve adjusted this post because, on review, it really doesn’t say what I thought I was trying to say. Violence isn’t funny and shouldn’t be portrayed as if it is.

[shrike3]

8. I should clarify: I hate the Stooges.

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9. I get that. Not faulting you in any way.

When I was a kid, in a safe and sheltered childhood, their brand of humor was one thing. It was probably the sound effects and Curly’s vocalizations. Curly was always my favorite, and I started feeling sorry for him. Especially as I grew up and learned a lot more about violence and abuse, and how there was nothing funny about it. And I started seeing The Stooges in a whole new and very uncomfortable way.

I never let my kids watch them cuz I thought the underlying messaging wasn’t good. Not something they should see, cuz it wasn’t funny. Their brand of slapstick humor isn’t funny, and they went WAY overboard with it.

[shrike3]

10. Yes. But -- different times.

[calimary]

11. Boy, you can say that again!

Your posts really got me thinking, my friend.

[shrike3]

12. Smart people are good at thinking, are they not?

I'm sure you're doing a good job.