The Irish Catholic Bishops' Conference released a pastoral statement "Cry of the Earth" on Nov. 10 in which they referred to global climate change as "one of the most critical issues of our time" and will "have consequences for the future of every person and every form of life."
Launching the statement Archbishop Dermot Clifford, Archbishop of Cashel and Emly, said the statement "reflects on our Christian responsibility towards the environment and outlines the scientific analysis of climate change, the theological and ethical principles as to why we as Christians have a duty to respond, and practical advice as to how we can act now to sustain the environment."
Quoting from Pope Benedict XVI encyclical Caritas in Veritate, Archbishop Clifford continued, "the environment is God's gift to everyone, and in our use of it we have a responsibility towards the poor, towards future generations and towards humanity as a whole. The Church has a responsibility towards creation and she must assert this responsibility in the public sphere."
See the news release from the Irish Catholic Bishops' Conference
