V o l.

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Tuesday Conference

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Theology e-weekly

To make humanity united in worshipping God

Our Heavenly Patron

Dear Fathers & Brothers,
Tuesday Conference is an attempt to reach catholic
doctrines, new trends in theology, biblical studies and Church history
to the priests and seminarians who tirelessly do service to the
Mother Church.
We are introducing the first three chapters of LAUDATO

SI of Pope Francis on the care of our common home.

To commit a crime against the

natural world is a sin against
ourselves and a sin against God.

The climate is a common good, belonging to

all and meant for all.

Page - 02

A true ecological debt exists.

LAUDATO

SI,

Everyones

mi Signore Praise be

talents and

to you, my Lord, opens

involvement

with beautiful canticle of St.

are needed

Francis of Assisi reminding

to redress

us that our

the damage
caused by
human
abuse of
Gods
creation

common

home is like a sister with

whom we share our life and
a beautiful mother who
opens her arms to embrace
us.
This sister now cries out to us because of the harm we
have inflicted on her by our irresponsible use and abuse of
the goods with which God has endowed her.

We have forgotten that we ourselves are

dust of the earth, made up of her elements, we
breathe

her

air

and

we

receive

life

and

refreshment from her waters. In this Encyclical, I

would like to enter into dialogue with all
people about our common home.

A spirituality which forgets God as allpowerful and Creator is not acceptable.

Page - 03

At a Glance
Chap. 01

Because of
us,

WHAT IS HAPPENING TO OUR COMMON HOME

[17-61]

How our development processes and technological

practices have become a threat to life and environment.

thousands of

Chap.02

species will

THE GOSPEL OF CREATION [62-100]

no longer

Proposes that environment is Gods self-revaluation

and it is something through which God is speaking to us.

give glory to
God by their
very
existence,
nor convey
their
message to
us. We
have no

Chap. 03

THE HUMAN ROOTS OF THE ECOLOGICAL CRISIS

[101-136]

Tries to ascertain the causes for the ecological crisis.;

the globalization, and anthropocentrism, as some of the
causes.
Chap.04
INTEGRAL ECOLOGY [137-162]
Proposes a new paradigm of justice with economic and
social ecology, cultural ecology, ecology of daily life.

such right.
Chap.05
LINES OF APPROACH AND ACTION [163-201]

Addresses the question of what we can do and must do.

Chap.06
ECOLOGICAL EDUCATION AND SPIRITUALITY [202246]

Invites everyone to aim for a new lifestyle, ecological

conversion through Ecological education and spirituality.

Humanity has disappointed Gods

expectation.

Page - 04

Man is not only a freedom which he creates for

himself. Man does not create himself. He is
spirit and will, but also nature.

The poor, the

weak , the
vulnerable, are
in a debate

Most extraordinary scientific advances,

dominated by

Most amazing technical abilities,

more powerful

Most astonishing economic growth,

interests. We

unless they are accompanied by

authentic social and moral progress,

need to
strengthen

will definitively turn against man.

the
conviction
that we are
one single
human

Who turned the wonderworld

of the seas into underwater
cemeteries bereft of colour
and life?

family.

Each

year

sees

the

disappearance of thousands of
plant and animal species which
we will never know, which our
children will never see, because
they have been lost

for ever.

Page - 05

These are Sins

For human beings to destroy the biological diversity ,its climate, natural
forests, wetlands, land, air, and life .

Whenever food is thrown out it is as if it were stolen from the table of the
poor.

Human life is in 3 fundamental relationships: with God, with neighbour &

with the earth. For Bible, these 3 relationships have broken, both
outwardly and within us. This rupture is sin.

We shall now interpret.

Genesis account which grants man dominion over the earth (cf.
Gen 1:28), encouraged the exploitation of nature by painting him as
domineering by nature. This is not a correct interpretation of the Bible
as understood by the Church. To till and keep the garden of the world (cf.
Gen 2:15). Tilling refers to cultivating, working, while keeping
means caring, protecting, overseeing and preserving.

Each

creature

possesses

goodness and perfection.

its

own

Man must

therefore respect the goodness of every

creature, to avoid any disordered use of
things. Otherwise, human beings will
always try to impose their own laws and
interests on reality.

Everyday experience and scientific research show that the

gravest effects of all attacks on the environment are

Page - 06

suffered by the poorest. Hear both the cry of the earth

and the cry of the poor.

Do you think the earth is yours???

The earth is the Lords ( Ps 24:1); to him belongs the earth with all that is
within it ( Dt 10:14). Thus God rejects every claim to absolute ownership.

The land shall not be sold in perpetuity, for the land is mine; for you are
strangers and sojourners with me ( Lev 25:23).

Each human being is an image of God should not make us overlook the fact
that each creature has its own purpose. None is superfluous.

Nature as a whole not only manifests God but

also a locus of his presence and

is a continuing revelation of the divine.

Therefore.

Creatures exist only in dependence on each other, to complete each other, in

the service of each other.

Every act of cruelty towards any creature is contrary to human

dignity.

Our industrial system, at the end of its

cycle of production and consumption,
has not developed the capacity to
absorb and reuse waste and byproducts. But the natural
ecosystems has that.

Safe drinkable water is a basic and

Page - 07

universal human right, & is

essential to human survival &
condition for the exercise of other
human rights.

The
number of
migrants
caused by
environmen
tal
degradation

are
denied
the right
to a life
with
dignity.

THE HUMAN ROOTS OF THE ECOLOGICAL CRISIS

Ecological crisis is one small sign of the ethical, cultural and
spiritual crisis of modernity, we cannot heal our relationship
with

nature

without

healing

all

fundamental

human

relationships.

Modernity

has

been

marked

by

an

excessive

anthropocentrism. A misguided anthropocentrism

leads to a misguided lifestyle. There can be no
ecology without an adequate anthropology.
It is contrary to human
dignity
to
cause
animals to suffer or
die
needlessly.
Experimentation
on
animals
is
morally
acceptable only if it
remains
within
reasonable limits &
contributes to caring for
or saving human lives.

We are not God. The earth was here

before us and it has been given to us.