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The
Environment
41. When
concern for economic and technological progress is not accompanied by concern
for the balance of the ecosystem, our earth is inevitably exposed to serious
environmental damage, with consequent harm to human beings. Blatant disrespect
for the environment will continue as long as the earth and its potential are
seen merely as objects of immediate use and consumption, to be manipulated by
an unbridled desire for profit. 200 It is the duty of Christians and of
all who look to God as the Creator to protect the environment by restoring a
sense of reverence for the whole of God's creation. It is the Creator's will
that man should treat nature not as a ruthless exploiter but as an intelligent
and responsible administrator. 201 The Synod Fathers pleaded in a
special way for greater responsibility on the part of the leaders of nations,
legislators, business people and all who are directly involved in the
management of the earth's resources. 202 They underlined the need to
educate people, especially the young, in environmental responsibility, training
them in the stewardship over creation which God has entrusted to humanity. The
protection of the environment is not only a technical question; it is
also and above all an ethical issue. All have a moral duty to care for
the environment, not only for their own good but also for the good of future
generations.
In
conclusion, it is worth remembering that in calling on Christians to work and
sacrifice themselves in the service of human development the Synod Fathers were
drawing upon some of the core insights of biblical and ecclesial tradition.
Ancient Israel insisted passionately upon the unbreakable bond between worship
of God and care for the weak, represented typically in Scripture as "the
widow, the stranger and orphan" (cf. Ex 22:21-22; Dt 10:18;
27:19), who in the societies of the time were most vulnerable to the threat of
injustice. Time and again in the Prophets we hear the cry for justice, for the
right ordering of human society, without which there can be no true worship of
God (cf. Is 1:10-17; Am 5:21-24). In the appeal of the Synod
Fathers we thus hear an echo of the Prophets filled with the Spirit of God, who
wants "mercy not sacrifice" (Hos 6:6). Jesus made these words
his own (cf. Mt 9:13), and the same is true of the Saints in every time
and place. Consider the words of Saint John Chrysostom: "Do you wish to
honour the body of Christ? Then do not ignore him when he is naked. Do not pay
him silken honours in the temple only then to neglect him when he goes cold and
naked outside. He who said; ‘This is my body' is the One who also said, ‘You
saw me hungry and you gave me no food'... What good is it if the Eucharistic
Table groans under the weight of golden chalices, when Christ is dying of
hunger? Start by satisfying his hunger, and then with what remains you may
adorn the altar as well!". 203 In the Synod's appeal for human
development and for justice in human affairs, we hear a voice which is both old
and new. It is old because it rises from the depths of our Christian tradition,
which looks to that profound harmony which the Creator intends; it is new
because it speaks to the immediate situation of countless people in Asia today.
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