How does sustainability relate to other aspects of social justice and Catholic Social Teaching? A recent post on the blog Catholic Ecology emphasizes the connections between caring for God’s creation, promoting the life and dignity of the human person, and honoring the call to family, community and participation while musing over the possible content of Pope Francis’s upcoming “eco-encyclical.” How else are the themes of Catholic Social Teaching interconnected? Encourage your campus to reflect on how everything we do ultimately affects another member of our one human family.
This “culture of waste” tends to become the common mentality that infects everyone. Human life, the person is no longer perceived as a primary value to be respected and protected, especially if poor or disabled, if not yet useful – such as the unborn child – or no longer needed – such as the elderly. This culture of waste has made us insensitive even to the waste and disposal of food, which is even more despicable when all over the world, unfortunately, many individuals and families are suffering from hunger and malnutrition. Once our grandparents were very careful not to throw away any leftover food. Consumerism has led us to become used to an excess and daily waste of food, to which, at times, we are no longer able to give a just value, which goes well beyond mere economic parameters. We should all remember, however, that throwing food away is like stealing from the tables of the the poor, the hungry! I encourage everyone to reflect on the problem of thrown away and wasted food to identify ways and means that, by seriously addressing this issue, are a vehicle of solidarity and sharing with the needy.
– Pope Francis