Statement by Canada’s Catholic Sisters Regarding the Climate Emergency

September 1, 2019

Statement by Canada’s Catholic Sisters Regarding the  Climate Emergency

On this World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, leaders of Canada’s 64 Congregations of Catholic Sisters are calling on the country’s politicians to respond to the climate emergency declared by Parliament by taking concrete steps to avert it.

As Women Religious, caring for all of God’s Creation is an essential part of our faith. The drastic changes to our climate brought on by the release of greenhouse gases pose the greatest threat to all living beings. Yet, not enough is being done to address it. In Laudato Si’, Pope Francis points out that “reducing greenhouse gases requires honesty, courage and responsibility, above all on the part of those countries which are more powerful and pollute the most.” (169)

For our part, we have taken robust action to combat the destruction of our planet and to care for our common home. Many of our Congregations have taken steps to:

• Divest from fossil fuel portfolios to clean and renewable energy projects.
• Eliminate single-use plastics.
• Retrofit residential buildings, including solar, bio-thermal and renewable natural gas installations.
• Commit to the Blue Communities project which entails treating water as a sacred resource and shared commons.
• Plant trees in Canada and in the countries where our Missions exist.
• Compost, reduce and recycle.
• Partner and provide support to community groups and movements committed to address the climate emergency.

We urge all politicians running in the upcoming federal election to acknowledge the climate emergency and to implement an immediate multilevel policy strategy for a just transition to ecologically sustainable living.

The actions to address the climate emergency should be concrete, justice-based and stripped of partisan politics. We invite political leaders to join us in caring for our common home by:

• Keeping fossil fuels in the ground and ending subsidies to fossil fuel and plastic producers.
• Redirecting investments and rapidly expanding the renewable energy economy, including investment in retraining for workers affected by job loss in fossil fuel production.
• Continuing to hold companies to account by putting a cost against the greenhouse gas pollution they produce.
• Coordinating an intensive and sustained public awareness effort to change attitudes and behaviours.
• Implementing the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) and developing climate emergency policies in line with the Indigenous knowledge and teachings.

We are facing an urgent and potentially irreversible threat to Earth. With so many others on the planet, we hope that politicians will show commitment, leadership and collective wisdom in the movement to protect our planet from destruction. This is the only way forward together.

UISG (International Union of Superiors General) is a worldwide organization of Superiors General of Institutes of Catholic Women Religious. It encourages dialogue and collaboration among Religious Congregations within the Church and larger society.  This statement is a collaboration of all 64 Canadian members of the UISG.

Signatories:

CONGREGATION/CONGRÉGATION            CITY/VILLE, PROVINCE

Antoniennes de Marie                       Chicoutimi, Québec
Congrégation de Notre-Dame                                Montréal, Québec
Dominicaines Missionnaires Adoratrices              Québec, Québec
Filles de la Providence                                           St-Constant, Québec
Filles de Marie-de-L’Assomption                           Campbellton, Nouveau Brunswick
Grey Sisters of the Immaculate Conception         Pembroke, Ontario
Institut Notre-Dame du Bon-Conseil de MontréalMontréal, Québec
Les Dominicaines de la Trinité                  Shawinigan, Québec
Les Missionnaires du Christ-Roi              Montréal, Québec
Les Sœurs de la Providence                     Montréal, Québec
Missionnaire Notre-Dame des Anges        Sherbrooke, Québec
Missionnaires de l'Immaculée Conception            Montréal, Québec
Missionnaires Oblates du Sacré-Cœur et de Marie-Immacuée  Winnipeg, Manitoba
Notre-Dame du Sacré-Coeur                                  Dieppe, New Brunswick
Oblates de Béthanie                                               Québec, Québec
Oblates Franciscaines de St-Joseph        Montréal, Québec
Our Lady's Missionaries                           Toronto, Ontario
Petites Filles de Saint-François              Montréal, Québec
Petites Filles de Saint-Joseph                Montréal, Québec
Petites Franciscaines de Marie                 Baie-St-Paul, Québec
Petites Soeurs de la Sainte-Famille         Sherbrooke, Québec
Religieuses Hospitalières de St-Joseph   Montréal, Québec
Servantes du Saint Cœur de Marie           Montréal, Québec
Servantes du Très Saint-Sacrement         Sherbrooke, Québec
Sisters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul    Halifax, Nova Scotia
Sisters of Charity of the Immaculate Conception Saint John, New Brunswick
Sisters of Mercy of Newfoundland                         St John's, Newfoundland
Sisters of Mission Service              Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Sisters of Providence of Saint Vincent de Paul     Kingston, Ontario                                                       
Sisters of Saint Joseph in Canada                         Hamilton, London, Pembroke, Peterborough, Ontario
Sisters of Saint Joseph of Sault Ste Marie            North Bay, Ontario
Sisters of Saint Joseph of Toronto                        Toronto, Ontario
Sisters of Saint Martha of Antigonish                   Antigonish, Nova Scotia
Sisters of Saint Martha of Prince Edward Island  Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
Sisters of Social Service                                         Toronto, Ontario
Sœurs Augustines de la Miséricorde de Jésus   Québec, Québec
Soeurs de Charité de Saint-Louis                           Montréal, Québec
Sœurs de Charité de St-Hyacinthe                         Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec
Sœurs de l’Assomption de la Sainte-Vierge          Québec, Québec
Sœurs de l’Institut Jeanne d’Arc                            Ottawa, Ontario
Sœurs de la Charité d’Ottawa                                 Ottawa, Ontario
Soeurs de la Charité de Montréal (Soeurs Grises) Montréal, Québec
Sœurs de la Charité de Québec                             Québec, Québec
Soeurs de la Providence                           Montreal, Québec
Soeurs de l'Assomption de la Sainte Vierge         Nicolet, Québec
Sœurs de Miséricorde                                            Montréal, Québec
Sœurs de Notre-Dame Auxiliatrice                        Rouyn-Noranda, Québec
Sœurs de Notre-Dame du Bon Conseil                  Chicoutimi, Québec
Sœurs de Notre-Dame du Sacré-Cœur                  Dieppe, Nouveau Brunswick
Sœurs de Notre-Dame-du-Perpétuel-Secours      St-Damien-de-Bellechasse, Québec
Soeurs de Sainte-Anne                                           Lachine, Québec
Sœurs de Sainte-Croix                              St-Laurent, Québec
Sœurs de Sainte-Jeanne d’Arc                  Québec, Québec
Soeurs de Sainte-Marthe de Saint-Hyacinthe       Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec
Sœurs de Saint-François d’Assise                         Québec, Québec
Sœurs de St-Joseph de Saint-Hyacinthe               Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec
Sœurs de St-Joseph de St-Vallier                          Québec, Québec
Sœurs des Saints Noms de Jésus et de Marie      Longueuil, Québec
Sœurs du Bon-Pasteur de Québec                        Québec, Québec
Sœurs Notre-Dame du St-Rosaire                         Rimouski, Québec
Sœurs Servantes de Notre-Dame Reine du Clergé Lac-au-Saumon, Québec

BEE-wildered

Recently I had one of those strange Déjà vu moments. It was triggered by a photo of our sisters in Rome standing in front of the imposing baldacchino in St. Peter’s Basilica. It brought back the memory of the first time I was bee-wildered by the Barberini bees.  ‘What kind of bees are they?’ you might ask.  Undoubtedly, you know about honey bees, but Barberini bees? Well, they are honey bees, and there are literally hundreds of them in St. Peter’s.  You can find them on those four imposing pillars of the baldacchino and throughout the Basilica, carved in stone, cast in metal, embroidered on silks. As I said, I was bee-wildered by the swarming bees.

So, why bees in St. Peter’s Basilica? Well, “the Barberini were a family of the Italian nobility that rose to prominence in 17th century Rome.  Their influence peaked with the election of Cardinal Maffeo Barberini to the papal throne in 1623, as Pope Urban VIII.” (www.wikipedia.org) Displayed on his family’s coat of arms were three golden bees, which before long were pushed into the spotlight. During Urban’s reign bees were scattered over buildings, fountains, sculptures, tapestries and various artefacts - and of course in St. Peter’s Basilica.  The famous Bernini was commissioned to design a massive bronze baldacchino in the centre of the Basilica, above the high altar. The upper parts of these massive columns are decorated with sprays of gilded bay leaves in which, yes, you guessed it, bees flutter.

Not only were bees considered symbolic of moral virtue, but their sweet honey was even compared to the Word of God as can be read in psalm 119.  In addition, they produced wax for candles. Then, as now, bees appear to work extremely hard.  (And to this day we refer to the hard working as ‘busy bees.’)  However, there are far greater reasons for the bee-wildering presence of these innumerable bees.  “In this context [they] indicate the role of the Pope as a type of Christ, and the healing power of the papacy generally … [the bee] is also an emblem of virginity standing for the Virgin birth, and the purity of Christ.” (https://Theframeblog.com/201708/22)

In spite of its relatively unimpressive size, the bee has found itself in the presence of popes.  Quite an accomplishment, one might say, for such a small creature.  However, how much more impressive when we think of the bee’s significance in our own daily lives.  Perhaps not so much as symbolic or ornamental, but as essential to our survival.  Yes, of course, we still frequently use the bee in a symbolic context.  I already mentioned the ‘busy bee’.  What about the ‘bee’s knees’ or ‘a bee in one’s bonnet’ or teaching kids about ‘the birds and the bees’ or taking part in a ‘spelling bee’ or helping in a ‘sewing bee?’  Ah, and then there is the ‘queen bee’.  However, we are all acutely aware that bees perform a task that is vital to our survival: pollination. Did you know, one third of our global food supply is pollinated by these tiny busy bees? Simply put, bees keep plants and crops alive. Without bees, you and I wouldn't have very much to eat. How bee-wildering a thought is that?

Glory-Bee, let’s save the honey bee!  Coming back to Popes and bees, did you know that on the Day of the Protection of Creation in 2011, “Italy’s largest farming association gave Pope Benedict XVI eight beehives containing more than 500,000 bees?” (www.zenit.org).  Furthermore, there is a traditional practice of blessing bee hives on the feast of St. Benedict. All of us might do well to occasionally pray this blessing for these tiny creatures.

“May [your] holy blessing descend upon these bees and these hives, so that they may multiply, be fruitful and be preserved from all ills and that the fruits coming forth from them may be distributed for [your] praise and that of [your] Son and the holy Spirit and of the most blessed Virgin Mary.” (www.catholicculture.org)

As we have seen, bees, both in ancient times and in more recent centuries, have always had around them a powerful symbolic aura. For centuries people have benefitted from these industrious little creatures.  Now it is our responsibility to help them survive so we, too, can survive.  Sound bee-wildering?  Just be bee-friendly!  - Sr. Magdalena Vogt, cps

Walk On, Walk On, With Hope in Your Heart

…and you’ll never walk alone. These lyrics, popularly known and sung by various artists express the sentiments embodied by a large gathering at Victoria Park on Sunday, November 29 for the Climate Change Rally. There we heard speakers from various organizations urging us ALL to effect the change in caring for earth. NOW is the moment for urgent action. Individuals and groups gathered because we all have hope that we can be the change we want to see.

It was very inspiring to see little children carrying placards …one in particular caught my eye:”Grown ups, please remember us”. Other strong messages were visible like, "Respect Your Mother" and "We Want Climate Action", "The Earth Deserves to be Preserved".

Earlier this month, the Council of Canadians issued a challenge, an invitation to join the rally for the climate. The invitation said, “This is our moment London, to come together and fight for our future. We need everyone's voice to make the message loud and clear to all our politicians. This is a global rally with more than 2500 communities around the world gathering on the day before the historic talks at COP21 in Paris begin on Monday November 30th. Please consider joining us and bringing your friends and family. This affects every global citizen on the planet and we must unite to create a renewable future!!” And turn out we did!

“Ordinary people believe only in the possible. Extraordinary people visualize not what is possible or probable, but rather what is impossible. And by visualizing the impossible, they begin to see it as possible.” Cherie Carter Scott

And so, we walk on, walk on, with hope in our hearts, because we never need to walk alone.

Kathleen Lichti, CSJ

The Paris Conference: A Change in Consciousness

On Monday, November 30, the twelve day United Nations Conference on Climate Change begins. This conference is the 21^st annual Conference of the Parties (COP) - the “Parties” being countries that want to take action on climate change. It is also the 11^th session of the Conference: Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP).  The previous twenty-one annual conferences have been full of rhetoric, demonstrations, protestors, and lobbying of environmental activists, and also of very little commitment, agreement, or actual change.  But the Paris Conference offers hope of transformative change. Consider Canada. As I write this blog, it is not bureaucrats, but our new Minister of the Environment and Climate Change, Catherine McKenna who is participating in discussions which seek common ground on key issues which will form the basis for a framework for agreement. And it is senior federal and provincial politicians who will attend the Conference. Already these changes represent a shift in our attitudes.

Canada has lagged far behind other countries in taking action to prevent the looming destruction of our planet, earth. Twenty-eight European countries with targets far more stringent targets than those of Canada have already met their year 2020 targets. The Conservative Government has done very little work towards meeting the limited target of a 30% reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.  But now, our newly elected Government is sending change makers to the Conference and has promised to set new targets for environmental change within 90 days. This is happening only because citizens, groups, scientists, and leaders have had a shift in their conscious awareness of the need to protect our shared home on this planet. We are realizing the need to understand the underlying structures which are inflicting damage to our environment. We are undergoing a shift in our worldview and values. And we are coming to the realization that the whole of creation is sacred and we human beings have a sacred mission to look after our planet.

Another reason for hope is a fundamental change in the process to be used at the Conference. Steve Zwick writing in Ecosystem Marketplace reports that unlike past years, negotiators do not have the impossible task of weaving millions of incompatible threads into a “uniform sheet”. This time the process is akin to a “charm quilt” made of many patches, each of which is a different fabric. The more than one hundred patches are “Intended Nationally-Determined Contributions” (INDCs) that countries have been formulating all year.  Some of these INDC patches fit together and some clash. 

Negotiators meeting in Bonn this week are trying to fit the pieces together and that means figuring out which elements of climate change strategy should be universally defined and which should be left to INDCs. Phrases and mechanisms that some countries hold sacred while other countries regard as profane will be left out of the universally defined strategy since there is no possibility on agreement by all countries to these items. The items excluded from the framework agreement will then be the responsibility of INDCs.

Estimates for agreed action on reductions in greenhouse gases currently stand at reductions totaling 2.7 degrees centigrade. To meet the 2 degree target required to prevent environmental disaster there will need to be dramatic increases in INDCs and a method for fitting these patches together.

Pope Frances has entered the discussion on climate change with his recent encyclical Laudato Si’. He notes that unless we undergo a radical conversion in regard to our patterns of consumption and relationships, dire consequences for humanity and our planet will ensue. To bring about change in the consciousness of the world’s view about our use of natural resources and care of our planet, we firs need to bring about change in each ourselves. Transformative change in others begins with transformative change in ourselves. 

Pat McKeon, CSJ

Action Opportunity on Human Rights and Climate Change

“The fragmentation of knowledge proves helpful for concrete applications, and yet it often leads to a loss of appreciation for the whole, for the relationship between things, and for the broader horizon, which then becomes irrelevant. This very fact makes it hard to find adequate ways of solving the more complex problems in today’s world, particularly those regarding the environment and the poor; these problems cannot be dealt with from a single perspective or from a single set of interests.” (Pope Francis, Laudato Si’ # 110)

As you know, leaders from countries around the world will gather in Paris next week to finalize the Paris Agreement on Climate Change (COP 21 – Conference of the Parties 21).

Climate change-related events are already causing loss of lives, livelihoods and personal property.  In addition, they are affecting health, water access and food security, as well as damaging critical infrastructure.  Moreover, climate change exacerbates existing vulnerabilities.  In 2008, the UN Human Rights Council underscored this point in stating that “the world’s poor are especially vulnerable to the effects of climate change” (HRC 7/23, 2008).

So, while it is critical that the Paris Agreement establishes commitments that will reduce the levels of greenhouse gases in order to ensure the integrity and resilience of natural ecosystems, it is equally important that it protects the human rights of all, especially individuals and communities that are already vulnerable or marginalized. For this reason, many groups around the world are calling for the upcoming agreement to include the following reference to human rights in the operative section of the core agreement:

All Parties shall, in all climate change related actions, respect, protect, promote, and fulfil human rights for all, including the rights of indigenous peoples; ensuring gender equality and the full and equal participation of women; ensuring intergenerational equity; ensuring a just transition of the workforce that creates decent work and quality jobs; ensuring food security; and ensuring the integrity and resilience of natural ecosystems.

It is important to include this language calling for the protection of human rights because:

• While the Parties have recognized the interactions between human rights and climate change, they have not taken action to operationalize (ensure the effective function of) their rights obligations.
• Human rights will be affected by climate change itself as well as the actions undertaken in the agreement.
• In order to guarantee the mainstreaming and systematic application of human rights into climate change actions, this paragraph must  be included as one of the general provisions contained in the operative section of the Paris Agreement.  (Provisions contained in the preamble of a legally binding agreement have a much weaker political and legal status than the status of the operative provisions).
• Integrating human rights into the Agreement will allow for the informed participation of local stakeholders in the decision-making process when it comes to developing climate change policies, provide benefits for the most vulnerable and help to ensure that traditional knowledge will inform policy designs.

If you want to take action to work toward the inclusion of the above-mentioned paragraph in the final draft of the Paris Agreement, you could send a short email stating something like this --- “I am writing to express my support for the following revised Operative Paragraph: “All Parties shall, in all climate change related actions, respect, protect, and fulfil human rights for all, including the rights of indigenous peoples, gender equality and the full and equal participation of women, food security and intergenerational equity as well as a just transition of the work force that creates decent work and quality jobs and upholds the integrity and resilience of natural ecosystems.”  Send to MakeItOperative@aol.com.

Sue Wilson, CSJ
Director, Office for Systemic Justice
Sisters of St. Joseph in Canada
519-432-3781 ext. 402
swilson@csjcanada.org