We are gathered here today in the spirit of peace for the good of all human beings and for the care of creation. At this moment in history, at the beginning of the third millennium, we are saddened to see the daily suffering of a great number of people from violence, starvation, poverty and disease. We are also concerned about the negative consequences for humanity and for all creation resulting from the degradation of some basic natural resources such as water, air and land, brought about by an economic and technological progress which does not recognize and take into account its limits. … Read more »… À suivre »
On Earth Day, April 22, 2006, a conference in Saskatoon will feature local, national, and international speakers on nuclear issues and healthy positive energy alternatives. Entitled “Towards a Nuclear Free Future”, the conference will be held at the St. George’s Senior Citizens’ Club, 20th Street & Avenue M, Saskatoon, from 9 am to 4:30 p.m. … Read more »… À suivre »
For years, the Canadian churches have made care for the Earth an integral aspect of their justice work. There is no greater threat to our collective future than the destruction of the ecosystems upon which all life is dependent. Caring for Creation is a spiritual commitment to God that is not optional in our faith.
The Canadian government’s Clean Air Act announced on October 19 as the centerpiece of its so-called “Made in Canada” Green Plan for Canada lacks the vision and courage to seriously tackle climate change. … Read more »… À suivre »
Les Églises du Canada ont depuis des années fait du soin de la Terre une dimension intégrale de leur travail de promotion de la justice. Il n’est pas de plus grande menace pesant sur notre avenir commun que la destruction des écosystèmes dont dépend toute vie. Prendre soin de la création est un engagement spirituel envers Dieu que notre foi ne rend pas optionnel.
La Loi sur la qualité de l’air qu’annonçait le gouvernement canadien le 19 octobre, en faisant la pièce maîtresse de son soi-disant Plan vert « fait au Canada », manque de vision et de courage. Elle ne peut pas s’attaquer avec force au problème des changements climatiques. … Read more »… À suivre »
The Nobel Peace Prize nominee, Dr. Helen Caldicott, MD, will speak in Saskatoon on Wednesday, March 7th at 7:30 p.m. at Third Avenue United Church. Her lecture is entitled “Nuclear Power is Not the Answer to Climate Change.” For further information, contact Marion at 306-373-0309; Inter-Church Uranium Committee: www.icucec.org; or email cleangreensask [at] yahoo [dot] ca. … Read more »… À suivre »
The St. Thomas More Just Youth group is hosting a Solidarity and Justice Coffeehouse on Friday, March 23 at 7 p.m. in the STM Cafeteria (1437 College Drive). The cost is $5.00 per person and all proceeds will go to Development and Peace. Come enjoy this wonderful evening of world music and entertainment!
The coffeehouse is sponsored by Just Youth along with the Newman Centre, St. Thomas More College and the University of Saskatchewan Discrimination and Harassment Prevention Services Office. Just Youth is a student-led Development and Peace group. It organizes education campaigns and activities on campus, and encourages students to become involved in local justice initiatives. … Read more »… À suivre »
A forum on religions’ contribution to a sustainable Saskatoon will be held April 12-13 at Nutana Park Mennonite Church, 1701 Ruth Street. Road Map 2020 and Multi-Faith Saskatoon are collaborating to present a forum on sustainability and faith. … Read more »… À suivre »
Evangelical theology stresses the importance of a personal relationship with God in Jesus Christ and sees the transformation of individuals as an important part of the transformation of the world. However, the notion of a purely privatized faith in which the gospel only affects individual, personal or family life but has no wider implications for society must be rejected as inadequate. … Read more »… À suivre »
St. Andrew’s College, Saskatoon presents: Winter Refresher from February 10th to 13th, 2008. The theme this year is This Sacred Earth: the ecological challenge to religion with the theme speaker Dr. Heather Eaton.
For registration and information regarding Winter Refresher 2008. For additional information contact St. Andrew’s College: toll free: 877-644-8970; or www.standrews.ca.
Join us for Great Music, Engaging Theology, Stimulating Conversation, and Celebration. … Read more »… À suivre »
Canadian Catholic Bishops pastoral letter on environment
(CCCB – Ottawa) – As part of the United Nations’ International Year of Planet Earth, the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) has published a pastoral letter which calls for a collective consciousness to face critical environmental problems affecting the earth.
Produced by the Episcopal Commission for Social Affairs, the pastoral letter is titled “Our Relationship with the Environment: The Need for Conversion.”
The Commission asserts that despite important commitments at summits held in Rio, Kyoto, Johannesburg and Bali, Canada represents “an extreme case” of non-compliance.
“After signing the Kyoto Protocol [in 1997], in which we agreed to decrease our greenhouse gases to six per cent less than those of 1990, we have instead increased them by approximately 25 per cent,” the letter explains.
The Bishops state that Canadians are not sufficiently conscious of the impoverished inheritance they are leaving for the generations to come. As a result, the Commission for Social Affairs calls for immediate adjustments to improve the current situation, particularly for the well-being of future generations and the Global South.
In order to restore humanity’s bonds with nature and lessen the effects of ecological breakdown, the pastoral letter proposes several ways Canadians can change, including:
• Regaining a sense of limit and adjusting our way of life to the planet’s available resources
• Freeing ourselves of an “obsession to possess and consume” and instead choosing “joyful austerity” or voluntary simplicity
• Making personal efforts in favour of the environment
The Bishops insist that responsibility for restoring a healthy relationship with nature falls on each individual, who must re-examine his or her perceptions about possessions and personal comfort. This will demand greater solidarity and new forms of sharing among all Canadians, they said.
In October 2003, the CCCB Social Affairs Commission published an earlier letter on the environment entitled “The Christian Ecological Imperative.” This text, as well as the recent pastoral letter which has just been published, is available on the CCCB website www.cccb.ca/. Printed copies may be ordered from mchabot [at] cecc [dot] ca. … Read more »… À suivre »
(CECC – Ottawa) – Dans le cadre de l’Année de la planète terre, telle que proclamée par les Nations Unies, la Conférence des évêques catholiques du Canada (CECC) vient de publier une lettre pastorale dans laquelle elle en appelle à la conscience collective face aux graves problèmes environnementaux qui frappent la planète.
Produite par la Commission épiscopale des affaires sociales, la lettre pastorale a comme titre : « Notre rapport à l’environnement : le besoin d’une conversion ».
Les auteurs de la lettre ne manquent de souligner qu’en dépit des importants engagements pris lors des rencontres de Rio, Kyoto, Johannesburg et Bali, le Canada représente un « cas extrême » de non-respect de ses engagements.
« Après avoir signé le protocole de Kyoto [en 1997], dans lequel nous nous engagions à diminuer nos émissions de gaz à effet de serre à 6 pour cent de moins que celles de 1990, nous les avons plutôt augmentées d’environ 25 pour cent », peut-on lire dans la lettre.
Les évêques notent que la société canadienne n’est pas suffisamment consciente de l’héritage appauvri qu’elle léguera aux générations à venir. Ils souhaitent donc que des ajustements soient apportés dès maintenant afin d’améliorer la situation actuelle, pour le mieux-être des prochaines générations et des populations de l’hémisphère sud.
En vue de rétablir les liens avec la nature, la lettre pastorale identifie un certain nombre d’actions qui pourraient être entreprises afin d’atténuer les effets de cette crise écologique, y compris :
• retrouver le sens de la limite et ajuster notre mode de vie aux ressources planétaires disponibles;
• se libérer de l’obsession de posséder et de consommer et opter plutôt pour « une austérité joyeuse » ou une simplicité volontaire; et
• consentir des efforts personnels en faveur de l’environnement.
Au dire des évêques, il incombe à chaque personne de rétablir les liens qui ont été détériorés avec la nature, de revoir sa conception de la possession et du confort personnels. C’est donc à une solidarité accrue et à de nouvelles formes de partage que sont invités tous les citoyens du Canada.
Déjà, en octobre 2003, la CECC avait publié une première lettre sur l’environnement intitulée : « L’impératif écologique chrétien ». Ce texte, de même que celui qui vient d’être publié, est disponible sur le site Web de la CECC. Des copies imprimées peuvent également être obtenues en s’adressant à mchabot [at] cecc [dot] ca. … Read more »… À suivre »
KAIROS wants you to turn off your lights for an hour at 8 pm on Saturday, March 29!
Why? Because our use of fossil fuels -symbolized here by a light bulb- is contributing to global climate change. In 2007, the people of Sydney, Australia, decided that they could send a powerful message for change by turning off all their lights at the same time. More than 2 million citizens and businesses did so. Now, the World Wildlife Fund is taking Sydney’s history-making moment global by encouraging people, businesses, and communities all over the world to turn off their lights and demand action on climate change.
KAIROS asks you, your church, and your community to join in this global effort as part of your commitment to the Re-Energize: Time For A Carbon Sabbath campaign. Use this time to reflect on your use of fossil fuels and their connections not just to climate change but to human rights and conflict as well. Build community around these issues. Advocate with local and federal governments to change their policies and practices related to fossil fuels. … Read more »… À suivre »
Notre dépendance à l`égard de pétrole tue des personnes et la planète… parfois à petit feu par la dégradation progressive de l’air que nous respirons et des écosystèmes dont nous dépendons toutes et tous, et parfois rapidement à la suite des nombreuses violations des droits humains et des conflits liés au contrôle et à l’usage de l’énergie fossile. Y-a-t-il des alternatives?
Oui! KAIROS – initiatives œcuméniques canadiennes pour la justice pense qu’il est temps que nous réexaminions, à titre individuel et comme societé, notre dépendance à l’égard des combustibles fossiles. Joignez-vous à notre campagne d’action Repenser l’énergie : Il Est Temps de Prendre un Congé Sabbatique de Carbone et servez-vous de notre site Internet pour découvrir comment il vous est possible de changer vous-même, de changer votre milieu et d’aider à changer le monde en repensant tous et toutes ensemble de l’énergie! … Read more »… À suivre »
In a pastoral letter to the faithful in his diocese, Roman Catholic Bishop Luc Bouchard of St. Paul in Alberta, Canada decried that “the integrity of creation in the Athabasca Oil Sands” – the largest reservoir of crude bitumen in the world and the largest of three major oil sands deposits in Alberta – “is clearly being sacrificed for economic gain.”
Bishops call for Critical Reflection on Uranium Mining and a Proposed Nuclear Power Plant in Saskatchewan
The Bishops of the Anglican, Evangelical Lutheran, Roman Catholic and Ukrainian Catholic churches in Saskatchewan call on their members and all Saskatchewan citizens to consider with care the issues surrounding the proposed expansion of the uranium industry in Saskatchewan and make their views known to the Government of Saskatchewan.
The Government of Saskatchewan is exploring “value-added” initiatives to expand the uranium industry in our province, including the possibility of a nuclear power plant being built in Saskatchewan. Bruce Power, the country’s only private nuclear generating company, has deemed an area of Saskatchewan (roughly from Lloydminster to Prince Albert) to be a potentially suitable site for such a development. In March 2009 a government-appointed panel is expected to make recommendations regarding such initiatives. It is critical that any recommendations be made only after full and open consultation with the people of this province.
Christian churches affirm that God created the earth and that God continues to establish and preserve a just and ordered life for all creation. Human beings are part of the vast ecosystem of the planet. Choices made by human beings must respect God’s creation in its careful interrelationship of earth, water, air and all living things. Exploiting the earth’s resources without regard for the consequences is sinful against God and God’s creation, according to Christian belief. Technology and economic development, including mining and power generation, must be subject to critical reflection in light of the impact that such actions have on people and the environment in the present and into the future.
The Bishops recognize the global need for urgent action on climate change and the importance of reducing greenhouse gas emissions from coal-burning power plants in Saskatchewan. They appreciate the intention of the Government in proposing nuclear power to reduce emissions. At the same time, they see the necessity for careful examination of the costs and benefits of a range of energy options and encourage the Government to invite public participation in developing a new energy strategy for Saskatchewan.
The Bishops call on Premier Brad Wall, Crown Corporations Minister Ken Cheveldayoff, Environment Minister Nancy Heppner, Energy and Resources Minister Bill Boyd, First Nations Minister June Draude, Enterprise Saskatchewan Minister Lyle Stewart, and the Government of Saskatchewan to provide adequate opportunities for Saskatchewan citizens to engage in open, informed discussion based on unbiased and complete information before the Government acts on recommendations from the nuclear industry or the government-appointed panel.
+Rodney Andrews, Anglican Bishop of Saskatoon
+Bryan Bayda, CSsR, Ukrainian Eparchial Bishop of Saskatoon
+Cynthia G. Halmarson, Bishop, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada
+Daniel Bohan, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Regina
+Gregory Kerr-Wilson, Anglican Bishop of Qu’Appelle
+Albert Legatt, Roman Catholic Bishop of Saskatoon
+Albert Thévenot, M. Afr., Roman Catholic Bishop of Prince Albert … Read more »… À suivre »
Beyond the traditional categorization of climate change as an environmental issue, it is clearly also a development issue; a poverty reduction, food security, economics, health, human rights, governance and equality issue. It is a Millennium Development Goal issue. (UN Millennium Campaign)
More help is being offered to churches that want to do something about climate change.
The Montreal-based Canadian Centre for Ecumenism has launched the Green Church program to advise churches on ways to reduce their carbon footprint and lower heating bills. Joined with Toronto-based Greening Sacred Spaces, Green Church will offer certification to churches that achieve a high level of environmental awareness and act on it starting in April 2011. … Read more »… À suivre »
The accepted axiom is, as the climate changes so the world, too, will change in dramatic and sometimes undesirable ways. What does this often rapid change mean to Christians whose faith is intertwined with the glory and beauty of God’s creation, but challenged when that creation is corrupted and irreversibly altered? … Read more »… À suivre »
Faith communities throughout Canada believe they have a moral responsibility to address global warming. As a result, religious leaders have prepared a Canadian Interfaith Call for Leadership and Action on Climate Change. This is among the first times that such a broad interfaith effort at a faith leaders’ letter has been undertaken in Canada. … Read more »… À suivre »
A new Canadian bishops’ document summarizing themes of recent church teaching on the environment is an urgent cry for action, says Bishop Donald Bolen of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon. “Recent church teaching and papal statements are clearly telling us that the way we are living is not sustainable,” said Bolen, one of the bishops on the Canadian bishops’ Episcopal Commission for Justice and Peace, which released the new resource April 8 entitled “Building a New Culture: Central Themes in Recent Church Teaching on the Environment.” “Care of the environment is a growing area of concern for the Church and for all human beings, and in fact the Church has been speaking about this – and in particular, recent popes have been speaking about this – not only with regularity, but with passion,” said Bolen. … Read more »… À suivre »
Read the 2015 joint statement of the Evangelical-Roman Catholic dialogue in Saskatoon, Called to Common Witness
Catholics and Evangelicals
Permanent link: https://ecumenism.net/?p=3473
More help is being offered to churches that want to do something about climate change.
A new Canadian bishops’ document summarizing themes of recent church teaching on the environment is an urgent cry for action, says Bishop Donald Bolen of the