Energy, Justice and Peace Energy is perhaps one of the most overlooked global issues of our times. One of the reasons for our obliviousness is that we tend to take energy for granted. The alarm clock that woke us up this morning, the water that flowed from the tap, the food (energy!) we ate for […]
Tag: poverty
“The Church of Greenpeace”
There is a fascinating recent interview with Patrick Moore, the founder of Greenpeace and now one of its most vehement critics. See the full article here. Below some of the highlights.
“The Poor” according to Francis
Much has been said by Pope Francis around the world, from secular media all the way to the inner workings of the Church. Lately, he was featured on the “Rolling Stone” magazine cover, accompanied by Bob Dylan lyrics “The Times they are a-changin”. As a friend of mine from the Vatican commented, this is probably the […]
Pope Francis and the Environment 2013
Here is a review of the most important messages of Pope Francis with regards to the environment in 2013. I have already mentioned many of his first pronouncements here, here and here. This post covers the official statements from important documents issued by the Pope. There is plenty of […]
Pope Francis: Food Crisis, Climate change and Reaching the Poor
Pope Francis recently delivered a speech to the FAO, the UN Food and Agricultural Organization, following a long tradition. Recently the Pope spoke on the environment and mentioned the scandal of starvation in our day and age. Again he touched on this theme: It is a well-known fact that current levels of production are sufficient, yet millions […]
Creatio Conference gearing up
Today I have received official confirmation of Cardinal Peter Turkson’s participation as the keynote speaker at the Creatio Conference to be held during World Youth Day in Rio 2013. Cardinal Turkson is the President for the Pontifical Council of Justice and Peace, and represents the Holy See on issues that concern the environment. Creatio is […]
Poverty, Volunteering and the Morally Poor
I came across an interesting article in the BBC about ‘voluntourism’ and the growing trend among youth to backpack while doing volunteer work. It is a critique of a well intentioned, but sometimes ineffective and selfish ‘form of service’ in the West. Personally I think the critique has some good points though it carries a […]
Fr. Schall on Environmentalism and Poverty
Fr. Schall is a somewhat legendary scholar within US academia, a priest who has defended the faith from within Georgetown University. He has commented on some environmental themes before and was mentioned in a post here, where Chris Shannon critiques his position. After Pope Francis, he stands out as a prominent Jesuit speaking on the […]
Welcome Pope Francis
It is with great joy that we have received news of Pope Francis. There are tons of reports and anecdotes about the humility, spiritual life and simplicity of the new Pope. As with Pope Benedict XVI, I will be focusing on his words, teachings and actions that have repercussions with regards to environmental matters. Certainly […]
Kony 2012, Africa and development
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4MnpzG5Sqc] Much has been posted on the famed Kony 2012 campaign, with it’s 100 million hits, supporters and critics. The video begins with the premise of a new form of media allowing for a grassroots revolution. The fall of the campaign shows the double edged sword of modern media, with the same voices able to […]