Bibliography

The main task of the General Office for Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation, in dependence on the Minister General, is: §1 To ensure that JPIC becomes part of the life and service of the Order by collaborating with the Secretariat for Formation and Studies as well as with the Secretariat for the Missions and Evangelisation, in cooperation with the JPIC Animators and Commissions of all levels.

§2 To educate the Friars on matters regarding JPIC.

Art. 43

§1 The General Office of JPIC is to be helped by the International Council for Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation, constituted in accordance with the norms of the Special Statutes approved by the Definitory General.

§2 Each Conference and Province is to draw up Statutes in which the integration of JPIC into the life and service of the Order is provided for during both initial and ongoing formation as well as for those that are, in a specific way, engaged in JPIC.

Art. 44

§1 A Commission for JPIC, composed of members from each Entity of the Conference, is to be instituted in each Conference. The task and function of the Commission, as well as the norms for the election of its President, are to be established by appropriate Statutes, which require the approval of the Conference.

§2 The said Commissions, in all that regards JPIC, must cooperate in a suitable way with the Franciscan Family, with “Franciscans International”, with the Commissions of the Dioceses and Religious Institutes as well as with the organisations of civil Society that enjoy a good reputation.

Art. 45

§1 Each Province and the other Entities of the Order are to have an Animator of JPIC.

§2 Wherever it is possible, a Council or Commission is to be appointed, which is to help the Minister Provincial and the JPIC Animator in promoting the formation and work of JPIC within the confines of the Province.

§3 The tasks of the Animator of JPIC, who always operates in dependence on the Minister Provincial or Custos, are to be defined in Special Statutes. He will promote and coordinate the integration of JPIC into the life and services of the Province or Custody; and, above all, he will support JPIC undertakings on all levels.

“La formación a la vida evangélica del hermano menor (CCGG 1 § 2) – al espíritu de oración y devoción, a la vida de comunión fraterna, a la penitencia y la minoridad, a la pobreza y la solidaridad, a la evangelización y la misión, a la acción a favor de la reconciliación, la paz y la justicia – es una senda «orgánica, gradual y coherente» (CCGG 133) que se desarrolla, tanto a nivel personal como comunitario, a lo largo de toda la vida” (n. 62)”.

“Todos los hermanos y candidatos sean formados a predicar con las obras la paz y la justicia venciendo el mal con la práctica del bien (cf. CCGG 68 § 19), respeten la creación como signo del Creador induciendo a los otros a ser constructores de paz y a salvaguardar la creación (cf. CCGG 71). (n. 86).

Deseamos destacar la recurrencia de alguna de nuestras palabras en este documento: justicia y paz, paz y justicia: 12x; creacion:6x; reconciliación [paz]: 7x

“The general Definitorium is to draw up a Study Guide on the care of creation that will have a solid biblical, ecclesial, Franciscan and scientific foundation, and will give guidance so that our Entities might be able to respond to the ecological challenges of our time” (n. 10).

“Each Entity, through the Moderator of Ongoing Formation, the Animator for Evangelisation, and the Animator of JPIC, following the guidelines of the general Study Guide, is to prepare a programme to help ensure that this dimension becomes a part of our lifestyle and of the life and pastoral and social activity of the Entities. This objective will be evaluated in the meetings of the Presidents of the Conferences with the general Definitorium” (n. 11).

Animation Guidelines of the General Definitory for the years 2016 and 2017 [“Brothers and Minor towards … Justice, Peace and the Integrity of Creation”, pp. 19-23], General Curia Friars Minor, Rome 2016

“During 2017 two important invitations to action will claim our attention. The first, Pope Francis’ Encyclical Laudato si’, comes from the Church and the second comes from the Franciscan Family, which celebrates the fifth centenary of Ite vos – also called the Bulla unionis” (p. 19).

“Peace, justice and the preservation of creation are three absolutely interconnected themes… as part of the universe, all of us are linked by unseen bonds and together form a kind of universal family, a sublime communion which fills us with a sacred, affectionate and humble respect” (LS nos. 92.89).

It was he [Paul VI] who told precisely the meaning of “integral development” (cfr. n. 21) in the encyclical, and it was he who proposed the synthetic and fortunate formula: «development of individual man and humanity as a whole. » (n. 14).

“Since 15 May of the present year was the ninetieth anniversary of the publication by the great Pope of the «social question», Leo XIII, of the decisively important Encyclical which begins with the words Rerum Novarum, I wish to devote this document to human work and, even more, to man in the vast context of the reality of work” (n. 1).

“In this way I wish principally to achieve two objectives of no little importance: on the one hand, to pay homage to this historic document of Paul VI and to its teaching; on the other hand, following in the footsteps of my esteemed predecessors in the See of Peter, to reaffirm the continuity of the social doctrine as well as its constant renewal” (n. 3).

“The present Encyclical seeks to show the fruitfulness of the principles enunciated by Leo XIII, which belong to the Church’s doctrinal patrimony and, as such, involve the exercise of her teaching authority. But pastoral solicitude also prompts me to propose an analysis of some events of recent history” (n. 3).

“What is meant, today and in the near future, by ‘integral development’, that is, the development of each man and of the whole man? In the footsteps of Paul vi, perhaps in the very word integrate — so dear to me — we can identify a fundamental direction for the new Dicastery. Let us look at a few aspects together.”

“In this shadow, however, human hearts continue to wait for the dawn of which the Psalmist speaks. Because this expectation is particularly powerful and evident in young people, my thoughts turn to them and to the contribution which they can and must make to society. I would like therefore to devote this message for the XLV World Day of Peace to the theme of education: «Educating Young People in Justice and Peace», in the conviction that the young, with their enthusiasm and idealism, can offer new hope to the world” (n. 1).

 “On this occasion, I would like to reflect on nonviolence as a style of politics for peace. I ask God to help all of us to cultivate nonviolence in our most personal thoughts and values. May charity and nonviolence govern how we treat each other as individuals, within society and in international life. When victims of violence are able to resist the temptation to retaliate, they become the most credible promotors of nonviolent peacemaking. In the most local and ordinary situations and in the international order, may nonviolence become the hallmark of our decisions, our relationships and our actions, and indeed of political life in all its forms” (n. 1).

 It contains an explicit reference to the Letter of Pope Benedict XV (1917) reported above (cf. also the Statement by cardinal Pio Laghi, after the meeting with G. Bush, on behalf of John Paul II, 2003) and of which he resumes the same anguished tone: “The history of humanity, in our own day too, presents us with a vast panorama of current and potential conflicts.  War, however, is never a solution.   As the hundredth anniversary of Pope Benedict XV’s Letter to the Leaders of the Warring Peoples draws near, I feel bound to ask that the world put an end to all these useless slaughters.”

“We know that it is not enough to open our hearts to the suffering of others. Much more remains to be done before our brothers and sisters can once again live peacefully in a safe home. Welcoming others requires concrete commitment, a network of assistance and goodwill, vigilant and sympathetic attention, the responsible management of new and complex situations that at times compound numerous existing problems, to say nothing of resources, which are always limited” (n. 1).

“The best antidotes to falsehoods are not strategies, but people: people who are not greedy but ready to listen, people who make the effort to engage in sincere dialogue so that the truth can emerge; people who are attracted by goodness and take responsibility for how they use language (…) I would like, then, to invite everyone to promote a journalism of peace, (…) A journalism created by people for people, one that is at the service of all, especially those – and they are the majority in our world – who have no voice” (n. 4).

“Encouraged by one another, we have engaged in fraternal dialogue. It has been a sign of our need to pursue encounter and unity without being afraid of our differences. So it is with peace: it too must be cultivated in the parched soil of conflict and discord, because today, in spite of everything, there is no real alternative to peacemaking.”

Message of His Holiness Pope Francis for the celebration of the 52^nd World Day of Peace [Jan. 1st, 2019] 08.12.2018

“Politics is an essential means of building human community and institutions, but when political life is not seen as a form of service to society as a whole, it can become a means of oppression, marginalization and even destruction” (n.2).

http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/messages/peace/documents/papa-francesco_20181208_messaggio-52giornatamondiale-pace2019.html

Message of His Holiness Pope Francis for the celebration of the 53rd World Day of Peace [Jan. 1st, 2020] 08.12.2019

“Faced with the consequences of our hostility towards others, our lack of respect for our common home or our abusive exploitation of natural resources – seen only as a source of immediate profit, regardless of local communities, the common good and nature itself – we are in need of an ecological conversion. The recent Synod on the Pan-Amazon Region moves us to make a pressing renewed call for a peaceful relationship between communities and the land, between present and past, between experience and hope” (n.4).

http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/messages/peace/documents/papa-francesco_20191208_messaggio-53giornatamondiale-pace2020.html

“The poor are the first to recognize God’s presence and to testify to his closeness in their lives. God remains faithful to his promise; and even in the darkness of the night, he does not withhold the warmth of his love and consolation. However, for the poor to overcome their oppressive situation, they need to sense the presence of brothers and sisters who are concerned for them and, by opening the doors of their hearts and lives, make them feel like friends and family. Only in this way can the poor discover «the saving power at work in their lives» and «put them at the centre of the Church’s pilgrim way»” (n. 6).

“This challenge [ecology] – as it emerges from the Encyclical Laudato Si’ – is not simply one of many, but the broader backdrop for an understanding of both ecological ethics and social ethics. For this reason, your concern for the issue of migrants and refugees is very serious and provokes a metanoia that can foster ethical and theological reflection, even before inspiring suitable pastoral attitudes and responsible and carefully planned political policies.”

Migrants and Refugees Section, Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, 17.01.2019

“It is a 40-page booklet whose purpose is to provide a text on human trafficking and an understanding of the phenomenon that together motivate and support the much-needed long-term struggle against the ‘atrocious scourge’ that the Holy Father denounced the United Nations in September 2015 and on many other occasions.”

https://migrants-refugees.va/documents/en/read/legal/pastoral-orientations-on-human-trafficking.pdf

“United with our Orthodox brothers and sisters, and with the support of other Churches and Christian communities, the Catholic Church today marks the “World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation”. This Day offers “individual believers and communities a fitting opportunity to reaffirm their personal vocation to be stewards of creation, to thank God for the wonderful handiwork which he has entrusted to our care, and to implore his help for the protection of creation as well as his pardon for the sins committed against the world in which we live.”

“We urgently appeal to those in positions of social and economic, as well as political and cultural,responsibility to hear the cry of the earth and to attend to the needs of the marginalized, but above all to respond to the plea of millions and support the consensus of the world for the healing of our wounded creation. We are convinced that there can be no sincere and enduring resolution to the challenge of the ecological crisis and climate change unless the response is concerted and collective, unless the responsibility is shared and accountable, unless we give priority to solidarity and service.”

“Sono intervenuti Sua Eminenza il Cardinale Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson, Presidente del Pontificio Consiglio della Giustizia e della Pace; Sua Eminenza il Metropolita di Pergamo John Zizioulas, in rappresentanza del Patriarcato Ecumenico e della Chiesa Ortodossa; il Prof. Hans Joachim (John) Schellnhuber, Fondatore e Direttore del Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research; la Prof.ssa Carolyn Woo, CEO e Presidente del Catholic Relief Services e già Decano del Mendoza College of Business, University of Notre Dame (USA); e ha portato la sua testimonianza la maestra Valeria Martano, insegnante delle periferie romane”. “It was intervened by His Eminence Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson, President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace; His Eminence the Metropolitan of Pergamon John Zizioulas, representing the Ecumenical Patriarch and the Orthodox Church; Prof. Hans Joachim (John) Schellnhuber, Founder and Director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research; Prof. Carolyn Woo, CEO and President of Catholic Relief Services and former Dean of the Mendoza College of Business, University of Notre Dame (USA); and the Prof. Valeria Martano, teacher of the Roman suburbs, brought her testimony.”

“This free guide will be a great resource for your parish to bring Laudato Si’ to life. Developed in cooperation with GCCM’s partners around the globe, the guide is directed at Catholic parishes globally to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) by addressing actions in relation to parish operations, the congregation, and the broader community. Inspired by Catholic Social Teaching, the Eco-Parish guide offers an active response to Pope Francis’ call for climate change action in his encyclical, Laudato Si’”.

“We are a community of hundreds of thousands of Catholics like you, in response to Pope Francis’ invitation to act on the Encyclical Laudato Si’. The community is made up of lay people, priests, bishops and a global network of member organizations working together to tackle the climate change crisis.”

It was the first world conference of the Heads of the States on the environment, an unprecedented event also in terms of media impact and the political and development choices that followed it.

“Human beings are at the centre of concerns for sustainable development. They are entitled to a healthy and productive life in harmony with nature” (Principio 1).“In order to achieve sustainable development, environmental protection shall constitute an integral part of the development process and cannot be considered in isolation from it” (Principio 4).

Sharing the concern of my beloved brother, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, for the future of creation (cf. Laudato Si’, 7-9), and at the suggestion of his representative, Metropolitan Ioannis of Pergamum, who took part in the presentation of the Encyclical Laudato Si’ on care for our common home, I wish to inform you that I have decided to institute in the Catholic Church the “World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation” which, beginning this year, is to be celebrated on 1 September, as has been the custom in the Orthodox Church for some time.

“This Agreement, in enhancing the implementation of the Convention, including its objectives, aims to strengthen the global response to the threat of climate change, in the context of sustainable development and efforts to eradicate poverty, including by …”

“Even more recently, we sought to fulfill the wishes of the Council and to demonstrate the Holy See’s concern for the developing nations. To do this, we felt it was necessary to add another pontifical commission to the Church’s central administration. The purpose of this commission is “to awaken in the People of God full awareness of their mission today.” In this way they can further the progress of poorer nations and international social justice, as well as help less developed nations to contribute to their own development.”

The name of this commission, Justice and Peace, aptly describes its program and its goal. We are sure that all men of good will want to join Our fellow Catholics and fellow Christians in carrying out this program. So today We earnestly urge all men to pool their ideas and their activities for man’s complete development and the development of all mankind” (n. 5).

“Gathered from the whole world, in communion with all who believe in Christ and with the entire human family, and opening our hearts to the Spirit who is the whole of creation new, we have questioned ourselves about the mission of the People of God to further justice in the world” (Introduction).

Task, Mission, Activities (Art. 3)

• 1. The Dicastery studies the social teaching of the Church and works to make it widely known and implemented, and so that social, economic and political relations are increasingly imbued with the spirit of the Gospel.
• 2. The Dicastery collects information and research in the areas of justice and peace, the development of peoples, the promotion and defense of human dignity and human rights, such as rights pertaining to work, including that of minors; the phenomenon of migration and the exploitation of migrants; human trafficking and enslavement; imprisonment, torture and capital punishment; disarmament and arms control as well as armed conflicts and their effects on the civilian population and the natural environment (humanitarian law). It evaluates these data and informs the episcopal agencies of the conclusions drawn, so that they may intervene directly where appropriate.
• 3. The Dicastery strives to ensure that local Churches provide effective and appropriate assistance both material and spiritual – if necessary also by means of suitable pastoral structures – to the sick, refugees, exiles, migrants, the stateless, circus workers, nomads and other itinerant populations.
• 4. The Dicastery encourages and coordinates initiatives of Catholic institutions committed to respecting the dignity of every person and affirming the values of justice and peace, and to helping people in need, especially those institutions that help respond to the most pressing needs including disaster relief.
• 5. In fulfilling its mission, the Dicastery may establish relationships with associations, institutes and non-governmental organizations, including those outside the Catholic Church, who are committed to promoting justice and peace. It may also enter into discussion with representatives of civil governments and other international public institutions, in order to promote study, deepen knowledge, and public awareness regarding matters within its competence, while respecting the competencies of other offices of the Roman Curia.
• 6. The Dicastery is committed to fostering among peoples: sensitivity for peace, commitment to justice and solidarity with those who are most vulnerable such as migrants and refugees, particularly through the celebrations of the World Day of Peace, the World Day of Migrants,the World Day of the Sick.

This book introduces us to the Franciscan vision of ecology which, in many respects, seems to have inspired the encyclical Laudato Si’. Assuming an integral and inclusive vision of ecology, the book analyzes today’s global ethical challenges, putting them in relation with the experience of Francis of Assisi and with the philosophical-theological reflection of the Franciscan Tradition. It emphasizes the need to overcome the current technocratic paradigm and the throwaway culture, which fosters the Well-Having over Well-Being and breaks the ties that bind us to creatures.