The Church’s Position as Regard to the Ecology Issue

Authors

Jan Dziedzic
Uniwersytet Papieski Jana Pawła II w Krakowie
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7229-8657

Synopsis

The Church’s teaching on the ecological issue is multifaceted. It includes the understanding of ecology in terms of environmental protection and human ecology. It should be emphasized that the biblical aspect is important for understanding ecology. God brought the world into existence out of nothing. He also made man in His image and likeness. Man is a partner in the dialogue with God and thus he can reach the truth. It is in Christ who restores man’s original holiness.
Nature was given to man to „cultivate and care for it” (cf. Gen 2:15). However, it is not more important than a person, because man is the „crown” of the creation. There is room for everyone on Earth, and everyone should find here the riches necessary for life. However, we cannot forget about the next generations that will come after our death.
Duties to the environment are closely related to duties towards a human person. Responsibility for the creation also requires care so that man would not destroy himself. It is essentially about respecting life from the moment of conception to natural death. Respect for „human ecology” corresponds to environmental ecology. 
Developing the ecological ethos requires education. Many entities are responsible for education to respect the natural environment, and the most important among them is the family. Generally, the change of attitudes related to the new valuation method is emphasized, which significantly influences the approach to the ecological issue.

Author Biography

Jan Dziedzic, Uniwersytet Papieski Jana Pawła II w Krakowie

Jan Dziedzic, prezbiter Archidiecezji Krakowskiej (święcenia 1987 r.), profesor nadzwyczajny Uniwersytetu Papieskiego Jana Pawła II w Krakowie, dziekan Wydziału Teologicznego UPJPII, kierownik Katedry Teologii i Psychologii Pastoralnej, konsultor Archidiecezjalnej Komisji ds. Liturgii i Duszpasterstwa Liturgicznego, autor wielu publikacji naukowych i popularnonaukowych. Zainteresowania badawcze: psychologia pastoralna, ekologia integralna, psychologia stanów terminalnych.

Downloads

Published

December 14, 2022

License

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.