At a town hall meeting sponsored in part by the Maryland Catholic Conference on March 9, Washington Cardinal Wilton Gregory and other panelists agreed that faith can be a way to find common ground for protecting the environment.
Cardinal Gregory stated that all of us can work together as instruments of God to care for creation, depending on our culture, experiences, and talents.
Drawing on Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si, Care for our Common HomeCardinal Gregory repeated the pope’s invitation for everyone to a dialogue on the future of the planet. Cardinal Gregory stated that all people need to be aware of the environmental crisis we are facing and how it affects us all. We all have a responsibility to protect our human home.
Before being elected to The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington in 2019, Archbishop Gregory was the Atlanta archbishop. Laudato Si. This action plan today serves as a model to diocesan plans in Boston and Columbus, Minneapolis, San Diego, San Diego, as well as the Archdiocese of Washington. The Archdiocese launched an action plan in August 2021 that was based upon the encyclical.
Cardinal Gregory said that this conversation and the people who have listened are an indication that there is common ground across political and religious differences, differences in socio-economic, racial and cultural variances and that it is possible for us to find common solutions as neighbors and friends, as well as as brothers or sisters.
Ben Grumbles (Maryland secretary of the environment); Jose Aguto (executive director of the Catholic Climate Covenant); and Maryland Del. Brooke Lierman, a Democratic-District 46, joined Cardinal Gregory for the online townhall, Care for Our Common Home – Environmental Responsibility in Maryland. Will Smith, State Senator (D-District 20), was scheduled to appear at the town hall. However, due to a vote in the Senate floor, Smith was unable attend.
John Gonzalez, a reporter for WJLA-7 TV, moderated the event. This was the second part of a series on environmental issues from Maryland Catholic Conference. The MCC is the official Catholic voice on state-related public policy issues.
The Victory Noll Sisters granted the MCC a grant for production of the town-hall videos. Both videos can be viewed at www.mdcatholic.org/environment.
Aguto said that he hopes we can bring our faith into all of the spaces in which we are involved. We live in a very difficult time, which is really tugging at the souls.
He shared some advice for the faithful, including the duty to care about creation as an essential part in faith and to avoid political factionalism and rancor to achieve stewardship. Aguto stated that the Catholic tradition has a lot to offer in terms of strength and pastoral ministry to help heal some of our country’s divisions.
Grumbles agreed that there is a way to find common ground. This is to protect the ground, the skies, and the water. And to work together to do this. A state official stated that he believes positive results will be achieved if more people get involved and show respect for the dignity and health of all.
Cardinal Gregory stated, “We must do this together. Individuals cannot respond to the extent of human destruction that environmental exploitation leaves behind.” The cardinal stated, We are all in this together and it is a foundational principle of Catholic social teaching.
Maryland State Del. Lierman shared some bills up for vote, including one she co-sponsored. This bill would make businesses accountable for the packaging they use for their products. She highlighted Maryland’s vulnerability in climate issues, particularly as it relates rising waters. She also stressed the importance of corporate accountability in reducing dependence on fossil fuels and strengthening the state’s recycling programs. The lawmaker highlighted the ways in which elected officials are trying reduce our global carbon footprint, and make life easier here at home for our children, grandkids, and others.
Maryland’s environmental department is responsible for ensuring that environmental laws and policies are being enforced. Grumbles stated, “One of our most important tasks as a department (whether they are corporate or communitarian polluters) is to hold them accountable.” The department issues permits, collects penalties, and provides other resources through the website www.mde.maryland.gov.
Grumbles noted there are many examples of caring for creation such as how to green and grow, ways to reduce energy consumption in a home or a congregation, ways to think about walkability and other environmental-friendly transit options. Grumbles shared some helpful tips for being better stewards in your community and neighborhood. This website provides information about what’s happening in the state. It also highlights the interconnectedness of all of us, which is dependent on a healthy and clean environment.
Participants were reminded by Cardinal Gregory that the poor are the first to suffer from the degradation of the environment. Many of these people have limited access to clean water, and less access to the goodness of the Earth. The cardinal stated that parishes in Atlanta saw the benefits of saving money after the action plan was implemented using environmentally-friendly lighting and energy-efficient windows.
Aguto encouraged listeners and others to incorporate these dimensions into their faith as well as into their actions going outward into the world. He reminded policy makers that political partisanship greatly hinders our ability to pass meaningful climate solutions.
Msgr. The opening prayer was delivered by Eddie Tolentino, pastor at St Michael the Archangel Parish, Silver Spring. He prayed that God of all creation, you have given us control over the Earth to preserve and protect your great gifts. We will listen tonight to your call and accept your election to care for the world. We pray again to unite in our concern for the Earth and to recognize it as a shared gift. We also give thanks to you, our Creator, for this amazing gift.
Cardinal Gregory referred to the Old Testament in his closing prayer. He prayed, “We go back to the beginning, where it is said God made the heavens and Earth.” Let us ask that same Creator for permission to join in His goodness, in His creation, by protecting that which He created and strengthening those bonds that unite, so that this Earth we have been given as a gift will allow to draw closer to each others and then hand it off to the generations to follow.
