Jesuit Father Xavier de Bénazé questions how Christians should engage with ecology, emphasizing their call to adopt virtuous behaviors and extend this commitment through the principles of integral ecology.
How can Christians engage with ecology? This is a valid question. It implies there may be a specific way for Christians to commit to ecology, which I partly agree with, but only partly. Let’s first explore what we share as human beings, as this is how the pope proceeds in Laudato si’. In this case, Christians can engage with ecology by joining the paths of their contemporaries, depending on the social, cultural, and economic context they are in. A Catholic from Cameroon will not engage with ecology in the same way as a Catholic from Paris.
An approach for all citizens
If we ask this question in France, we quickly come to some common invitations for Christians and all our fellow citizens. On average, we need to significantly reduce our use of individual cars while seriously considering switching to electric; for our homes, a temperature setting of 19°C during the day and 17°C at night should be standard, thanks to a good sweater and thermal underwear, along with proper insulation and a decarbonized heating system. Regarding food, for meat, the slogan “less but better” should apply, seeking out products from agroecology that positively impact biodiversity and the lives of those who work the land.
Finally, mass consumption should be avoided, and people should opt for durable items or second-hand goods. We should be aware that our individual actions have a real impact, but nothing will be achieved without cultural and political changes in common. Therefore, it is essential for Christians, as for all citizens, to engage with others and give real weight to ecological issues in voting and advocacy.
Sharing joys and despair
In short, nothing specific to Christians here. This should not surprise the children of Vatican II, one of whose major documents, Gaudium et Spes, the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, affirmed in its opening: “The joys and the hopes, the griefs and the anxieties of the men of this age, especially those who are poor or in any way afflicted, these are the joys and hopes, the griefs and anxieties of the followers of Christ. Indeed, nothing genuinely human fails to raise an echo in their hearts. For theirs is a community composed of men. United in Christ, they are led by the Holy Spirit in their journey to the Kingdom of their Father, and they have welcomed the news of salvation, which is meant for every man. That is why this community realizes that it is truly linked with mankind and its history by the deepest of bonds.” (GS n. 1). As Christians, we must be in solidarity with the other children of God. We must accept and share their struggles, challenges, joys, and despair.
“As Christians, we must be in solidarity with the other children of God. We must accept to share their struggles, challenges, joys, and despair.”
A Christian Way
That being said, sharing these paths of ecological and social transition with everyone does not mean that we live this journey in the same way. In this sense, there is a Christian way to commit to ecology. It is to engage with a foundational vision, which is that of integral ecology while remaining rooted in hope. We could say, with Jesuit theologian Christoph Theobald, that there is a “style” of Christian engagement in the Anthropocene. First, because as Christians, we do not engage “only” in ecology but in “integral ecology.” In other words, our commitment arises from a new way of seeing the world. No longer as a machine to be broken into small pieces (the scientific method of reductionism) and then reassembled to suit our needs. But as a fabric of living and life-giving relationships. From the paradigm of the machine to that of the living. From the technocratic paradigm to integral ecology, as the Pope would say in chapters 3 and 4 of Laudato si’.
Changing the gaze
This shift in worldview invites us to feel how our lives are woven with four fundamental relationships: with ourselves, with other humans, with Creation, and with God. Knowing that the latter is the source and end of the other three. This may sound lofty, but I invite you to look at the plate of your next meal with this change of perspective. No longer a series of ingredients as bricks to rebuild the machine of your body. But as the fruits of a whole chain of relationships between humans, between living beings, between humans and creatures. From there, “seeing” these relationships, you might want to give thanks to God, or you might realize that anonymity or identified relationships are destructive of life, and you will want to change how you eat. This is a Christian way to engage today in integral ecology.
Finally, all these paths of integral ecology draw their Christian strength from hope. In other words, from our following of the Crucified and Risen One. The words may sound grand and lofty. But this is precisely the good news of the Anthropocene crisis: it calls the people of God to the foundations of their faith, urging us to testify to the One who gives us life, even in the midst of crisis. So, it is up to us to take the necessary time to let this hope resonate in us and then to be able to share it with our contemporaries “with gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15-16).
Father Xavier de Bénazé SJ is the coordinator of the Ecological Spiritual Center at the Châtelard Spiritual Center in southeastern France. The center focuses on fostering spiritual development while integrating ecological awareness and practices, particularly in line with Pope Francis’s message in Laudato si’.
Reproduced with permission from La Croix International.
