In early April, the five bishops of the Indiana Catholic Conference, Archbishop Charles C. Thompson (Indianapolis), Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades (Fort Wayne-South Bend), Bishop Robert J. McClory (Gary), Bishop Timothy L. Doherty (Lafayette), and Bishop Joseph M. Siegel (Evansville), released a new pastoral letter to all people of goodwill in the state of Indiana. This letter, a collaboration that has been in the making for many years, reflects on the points of integral ecology laid out in Pope Francis’ 2015 encyclical Laudato Si’ and applies them in the local context to Indiana.
“The concept of integral ecology helps us see more clearly how human life and the natural world are deeply interconnected,” said Indianapolis Archbishop Charles C. Thompson. “Here in Indiana, we delight in the beauty of creation from our Great Lake and winding rivers to forests, prairies, wetlands and farmland. As people at home in this land and pilgrims journeying toward our true home in heaven, we are called to receive creation as a gift and to care for it with gratitude and hope.”
In the introduction, the bishops remind us that it is the Eucharist that is truly the fulfillment of integral ecology, where “the human and the natural are united in Jesus Christ himself.” It is the Eucharist that unites us all in the Body of Christ, reminding us too that the social, economic, and political reality of human life and poverty is not disconnected from environmental issues.
Weaved into the document is the sacramental view of creation – how we we look at nature and see
a deeper dimension to it – encountering the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit in and through what they create. Creation as a sign that points to something beyond itself.
“Our Catholic sacramental vision of creation views nature as a manifestation of God’s presence and as intimately connected to the protection of human life and dignity,” continued Bishop Rhoades. “I hope that the faithful will find this pastoral letter not only informative, but also helpful in promoting and living out the ‘ecological conversion’ called for by Popes John Paul II, Benedict XVI, Francis and Leo XIV.
Along with the document, a study guide and interactive maps are provided to help parishes and individuals pray, reflect, and make plans for concrete actions.
To read the letter, study guide and related resources (including a statement from Cardinal Michael Czerny S.J., Head of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development) visit the Indiana Catholic Conference dedicated page: https://www.indianacc.org/ecology
