The Friends Committee on National Legislation joins with people of all faiths who are excited and grateful at the release of Pope Francis’ encyclical “Praised Be: On the Care of our Common Home.”
As an organization of the Religious Society of Friends, we profoundly resonate with Pope Francis’ latest exhortations: “The urgent challenge to protect our common home includes a concern to bring the whole human family together to seek a sustainable and integral development, for we know that things can change. The Creator does not abandon us; he never forsakes his loving plan or repents of having created us. Humanity still has the ability to work together in building our common home.” (Laudato Si, p. 12)
His words affirm our shared moral responsibility to care for the most vulnerable peoples and the Earth, given to us by the Creator. He emphasizes for us what the Catholic Church, the Religious Society of Friends and so many faith traditions, and indigenous peoples have long been saying: to care for our neighbors, children, and future generations, we must care for our Earth. Doing that today requires us to address climate change.
Pope Francis’ call is embodied in FCNL’s vision for the world: We seek a world free of war and the threat of war. We seek a society with equity and justice for all. We seek a community where every person’s potential may be fulfilled. We seek an earth restored. As stated by the shared statement from Quaker groups “Facing the Challenge of Climate Change,” “we are called to work for the peaceable Kingdom of God on the whole Earth, in right sharing with all peoples. We recognize a moral duty to cherish Creation for future generations.” We must address climate change to bring about a world free of conflict and create communities where all peoples can thrive in a healthy environment.
This echoes the message delivered by Suqwamish & Duwamish Chief Seattle, who said “All things are connected. Whatever befalls the Earth befalls the children of the Earth.”
Climate change looms as one of the greatest challenges facing humanity, requiring the commitment of all peoples, but especially our elected officials, the men and women who represent the people of our country in the U.S. Congress. We ask that our legislators stand up to the paralyzing partisanship imperiling our interests and our common future.
Congress can and must play a pivotal role in transforming and addressing the ecological crisis before us all. Most legislators in Congress today privately acknowledge that human activity is a leading cause of climate change, and that climate change threatens our symbiotic relationship with the Earth. Therefore, we hope, pray, and urge our legislators to lead with the moral courage of Pope Francis’ words, and together to publicly express that which they already know, so that Congress may be transformed as a leader for the change we seek. Out of a concern for a present and future where the potential of all peoples may be fulfilled, now is the time for action.
