April 14, 2024

While our country has observed Earth Day every year since 1970, our Church has taught care for the environment for centuries. God created man and woman as the crown of creation so we can be fruitful and multiply, to cherish Earth as a garden. However, because of humanity’s brokenness due to sin, we often misuse this priceless gift. With our ability to manipulate the environment, there are those who use it for their own self-interest, consuming it with no regard for its long-term viability and care. In “Laudato Si’,” which is often referred to as his “environment encyclical” (even though it is much more than that), Pope Francis stated: “The misuse of creation begins when we no longer recognize any…