"We are losing our attitude of wonder, of contemplation, of listening to creation and thus we no longer manage to interpret within it what Benedict XVI calls 'the rhythm of the love-story between God and man.'"
+ Pope Francis
The road to beatifying a Catholic ecologist
With news of the upcoming beatification of John Paul II making the rounds (see here and here and here), let us remember his great work in helping spread the Gospel of Life into the realms of ecology.
Our friends at the Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha Conservation Center have some helpful postings on John Paul II, of which I recommend this one.
For a brief reminder of what the His Holiness had said about ecology, read this snippet in Evangelium vitae:
John Paul the Great, pray for us!Another welcome sign is the growing attention being paid to the quality of life and to ecology, especially in more developed societies, where people's expectations are no longer concentrated so much on problems of survival as on the search for an overall improvement of living conditions. Especially significant is the reawakening of an ethical reflection on issues affecting life. The emergence and ever more widespread development of bioethics is promoting more reflection and dialogue-between believers and non-believers, as well as between followers of different religions- on ethical problems, including fundamental issues pertaining to human life.