Full Text of Pope Benedict XVI's Message for the 2010 World Day of Peace
MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS POPE BENEDICT XVI FOR THE CELEBRATION OF THE WORLD DAY
OF PEACE 1 JANUARY 2010
IF YOU WANT TO CULTIVATE PEACE, PROTECT CREATION
1. At
the beginning of this New Year, I wish to offer heartfelt greetings of peace to all
Christian communities, international leaders, and people of good will throughout the
world. For this XLIII World Day of Peace I have chosen the theme: If You Want to
Cultivate Peace, Protect Creation. Respect for creation is of immense consequence,
not least because “creation is the beginning and the foundation of all God’s works”,
and its preservation has now become essential for the pacific coexistence of mankind.
Man’s inhumanity to man has given rise to numerous threats to peace and to authentic
and integral human development – wars, international and regional conflicts, acts
of terrorism, and violations of human rights. Yet no less troubling are the threats
arising from the neglect – if not downright misuse – of the earth and the natural
goods that God has given us. For this reason, it is imperative that mankind renew
and strengthen “that covenant between human beings and the environment, which should
mirror the creative love of God, from whom we come and towards whom we are journeying”. 2. In
my Encyclical Caritas in Veritate, I noted that integral human development
is closely linked to the obligations which flow from man’s relationship with
the natural environment. The environment must be seen as God’s gift to all people,
and the use we make of it entails a shared responsibility for all humanity, especially
the poor and future generations. I also observed that whenever nature, and human beings
in particular, are seen merely as products of chance or an evolutionary determinism,
our overall sense of responsibility wanes. On the other hand, seeing creation as God’s
gift to humanity helps us understand our vocation and worth as human beings. With
the Psalmist, we can exclaim with wonder: “When I look at your heavens, the work of
your hands, the moon and the stars which you have established; what is man that you
are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?” (Ps 8:4-5).
Contemplating the beauty of creation inspires us to recognize the love of the Creator,
that Love which “moves the sun and the other stars”. 3. Twenty years ago, Pope
John Paul II devoted his Message for the World Day of Peace to the theme: Peace with
God the Creator, Peace with All of Creation. He emphasized our relationship, as God’s
creatures, with the universe all around us. “In our day”, he wrote, “there
is a growing awareness that world peace is threatened … also by a lack of due respect
for nature”. He added that “ecological awareness, rather than being downplayed, needs
to be helped to develop and mature, and find fitting expression in concrete
programmes and initiatives”. Previous Popes had spoken of the relationship between
human beings and the environment. In 1971, for example, on the eightieth anniversary
of Leo XIII’s Encyclical Rerum Novarum, Paul VI pointed out that “by an ill-considered
exploitation of nature (man) risks destroying it and becoming in his turn
the victim of this degradation”. He added that “not only is the material environment
becoming a permanent menace – pollution and refuse, new illnesses and absolute destructive
capacity – but the human framework is no longer under man’s control, thus creating
an environment for tomorrow which may well be intolerable. This is a
wide-ranging social problem which concerns the entire human family”. 4. Without
entering into the merit of specific technical solutions, the Church is nonetheless
concerned, as an “expert in humanity”, to call attention to the relationship between
the Creator, human beings and the created order. In 1990 John Paul II had spoken
of an “ecological crisis” and, in highlighting its primarily ethical character, pointed
to the “urgent moral need for a new solidarity”. His appeal is all the more
pressing today, in the face of signs of a growing crisis which it would be irresponsible
not to take seriously. Can we remain indifferent before the problems associated with
such realities as climate change, desertification, the deterioration and loss of productivity
in vast agricultural areas, the pollution of rivers and aquifers, the loss
of biodiversity, the increase of natural catastrophes and the deforestation of equatorial
and tropical regions? Can we disregard the growing phenomenon of “environmental refugees”,
people who are forced by the degradation of their natural habitat to forsake it –
and often their possessions as well – in order to face the dangers and uncertainties
of forced displacement? Can we remain impassive in the face of actual and potential
conflicts involving access to natural resources? All these are issues with a profound
impact on the exercise of human rights, such as the right to life, food, health and
development. 5. It should be evident that the ecological crisis cannot be viewed
in isolation from other related questions, since it is closely linked to the notion
of development itself and our understanding of man in his relationship to others
and to the rest of creation. Prudence would thus dictate a profound, long-term review
of our model of development, one which would take into consideration the meaning of
the economy and its goals with an eye to correcting its malfunctions and
misapplications. The ecological health of the planet calls for this, but it is also
demanded by the cultural and moral crisis of humanity whose symptoms have for some
time been evident in every part of the world. Humanity needs a profound cultural
renewal; it needs to rediscover those values which can serve as the solid basis
for building a brighter future for all. Our present crises – be they economic, food-related,
environmental or social – are ultimately also moral crises, and all of them are interrelated.
They require us to rethink the path which we are travelling together. Specifically,
they call for a lifestyle marked by sobriety and solidarity, with new rules and forms
of engagement, one which focuses confidently and courageously on strategies
that actually work, while decisively rejecting those that have failed. Only in this
way can the current crisis become an opportunity for discernment and new strategic
planning. 6. Is it not true that what we call “nature” in a cosmic sense has its
origin in “a plan of love and truth”? The world “is not the product of any necessity
whatsoever, nor of blind fate or chance… The world proceeds from the free will of
God; he wanted to make his creatures share in his being, in his intelligence, and
in his goodness”. The Book of Genesis, in its very first pages, points to the wise
design of the cosmos: it comes forth from God’s mind and finds its culmination in
man and woman, made in the image and likeness of the Creator to “fill the earth” and
to “have dominion over” it as “stewards” of God himself (cf. Gen 1:28). The harmony
between the Creator, mankind and the created world, as described by Sacred Scripture,
was disrupted by the sin of Adam and Eve, by man and woman, who wanted to take the
place of God and refused to acknowledge that they were his creatures. As a result,
the work of “exercising dominion” over the earth, “tilling it and keeping
it”, was also disrupted, and conflict arose within and between mankind and the rest
of creation (cf. Gen 3:17-19). Human beings let themselves be mastered by selfishness;
they misunderstood the meaning of God’s command and exploited creation out of
a desire to exercise absolute domination over it. But the true meaning of God’s original
command, as the Book of Genesis clearly shows, was not a simple conferral of authority,
but rather a summons to responsibility. The wisdom of the ancients had recognized
that nature is not at our disposal as “a heap of scattered refuse”. Biblical Revelation
made us see that nature is a gift of the Creator, who gave it an inbuilt order and
enabled man to draw from it the principles needed to “till it and keep it” (cf.
Gen. 2:15). Everything that exists belongs to God, who has entrusted it to man, albeit
not for his arbitrary use. Once man, instead of acting as God’s co-worker, sets himself
up in place of God, he ends up provoking a rebellion on the part of nature, “which
is more tyrannized than governed by him”. Man thus has a duty to exercise responsible
stewardship over creation, to care for it and to cultivate it. 7. Sad to say,
it is all too evident that large numbers of people in different countries and areas
of our planet are experiencing increased hardship because of the negligence or refusal
of many others to exercise responsible stewardship over the environment. The Second
Vatican Ecumenical Council reminded us that “God has destined the earth and everything
it contains for all peoples and nations”. The goods of creation belong to humanity
as a whole. Yet the current pace of environmental exploitation is seriously endangering
the supply of certain natural resources not only for the present generation, but above
all for generations yet to come. It is not hard to see that environmental degradation
is often due to the lack of far-sighted official policies or to the pursuit of myopic
economic interests, which then, tragically, become a serious threat to creation. To
combat this phenomenon, economic activity needs to consider the fact that “every economic
decision has a moral consequence” and thus show increased respect for the environment.
When making use of natural resources, we should be concerned for their protection
and consider the cost entailed – environmentally and socially – as an essential part
of the overall expenses incurred. The international community and national governments
are responsible for sending the right signals in order to combat effectively the misuse
of the environment. To protect the environment, and to safeguard natural resources
and the climate, there is a need to act in accordance with clearly-defined rules,
also from the juridical and economic standpoint, while at the same time taking into
due account the solidarity we owe to those living in the poorer areas of our world
and to future generations. 8. A greater sense of intergenerational solidarity
is urgently needed. Future generations cannot be saddled with the cost of our use
of common environmental resources. “We have inherited from past generations, and we
have benefited from the work of our contemporaries; for this reason we have obligations
towards all, and we cannot refuse to interest ourselves in those who will come after
us, to enlarge the human family. Universal solidarity represents a benefit as well
as a duty. This is a responsibility that present generations have towards those of
the future, a responsibility that also concerns individual States and the international
community”. Natural resources should be used in such a way that immediate benefits
do not have a negative impact on living creatures, human and not, present and future;
that the protection of private property does not conflict with the universal destination
of goods; that human activity does not compromise the fruitfulness of the earth, for
the benefit of people now and in the future. In addition to a fairer sense of intergenerational
solidarity there is also an urgent moral need for a renewed sense of intragenerational
solidarity, especially in relationships between developing countries and highly industrialized
countries: “the international community has an urgent duty to find institutional means
of regulating the exploitation of non-renewable resources, involving poor countries
in the process, in order to plan together for the future”. The ecological crisis
shows the urgency of a solidarity which embraces time and space. It is important to
acknowledge that among the causes of the present ecological crisis is the historical
responsibility of the industrialized countries. Yet the less developed countries,
and emerging countries in particular, are not exempt from their own responsibilities
with regard to creation, for the duty of gradually adopting effective environmental
measures and policies is incumbent upon all. This would be accomplished more easily
if self-interest played a lesser role in the granting of aid and the sharing of knowledge
and cleaner technologies. 9. To be sure, among the basic problems which the international
community has to address is that of energy resources and the development of joint
and sustainable strategies to satisfy the energy needs of the present and future generations.
This means that technologically advanced societies must be prepared to encourage more
sober lifestyles, while reducing their energy consumption and improving its efficiency.
At the same time there is a need to encourage research into, and utilization of, forms
of energy with lower impact on the environment and “a world-wide redistribution of
energy resources, so that countries lacking those resources can have access to them”.
The ecological crisis offers an historic opportunity to develop a common plan of action
aimed at orienting the model of global development towards greater respect for creation
and for an integral human development inspired by the values proper to charity in
truth. I would advocate the adoption of a model of development based on the centrality
of the human person, on the promotion and sharing of the common good, on responsibility,
on a realization of our need for a changed life-style, and on prudence, the virtue
which tells us what needs to be done today in view of what might happen tomorrow. 10. A
sustainable comprehensive management of the environment and the resources of the planet
demands that human intelligence be directed to technological and scientific research
and its practical applications. The “new solidarity” for which John Paul II called
in his Message for the 1990 World Day of Peace and the “global solidarity” for which
I myself appealed in my Message for the 2009 World Day of Peace are essential attitudes
in shaping our efforts to protect creation through a better internationally-coordinated
management of the earth’s resources, particularly today, when there is an increasingly
clear link between combatting environmental degradation and promoting an integral
human development. These two realities are inseparable, since “the integral development
of individuals necessarily entails a joint effort for the development of humanity
as a whole”. At present there are a number of scientific developments and innovative
approaches which promise to provide satisfactory and balanced solutions to
the problem of our relationship to the environment. Encouragement needs to be given,
for example, to research into effective ways of exploiting the immense potential of
solar energy. Similar attention also needs to be paid to the world-wide problem of
water and to the global water cycle system, which is of prime importance for life
on earth and whose stability could be seriously jeopardized by climate change. Suitable
strategies for rural development centred on small farmers and their families should
be explored, as well as the implementation of appropriate policies for the management
of forests, for waste disposal and for strengthening the linkage between combatting
climate change and overcoming poverty. Ambitious national policies are required, together
with a necessary international commitment which will offer important benefits especially
in the medium and long term. There is a need, in effect, to move beyond a purely consumerist
mentality in order to promote forms of agricultural and industrial production capable
of respecting creation and satisfying the primary needs of all. The ecological problem
must be dealt with not only because of the chilling prospects of environmental degradation
on the horizon; the real motivation must be the quest for authentic world-wide solidarity
inspired by the values of charity, justice and the common good. For that matter, as
I have stated elsewhere, “technology is never merely technology. It reveals
man and his aspirations towards development; it expresses the inner tension that impels
him gradually to overcome material limitations. Technology in this sense is a response
to God’s command to till and keep the land (cf. Gen 2:15) that he has entrusted to
humanity, and it must serve to reinforce the covenant between human beings and the
environment, a covenant that should mirror God’s creative love”. 11. It is becoming
more and more evident that the issue of environmental degradation challenges us to
examine our life-style and the prevailing models of consumption and production, which
are often unsustainable from a social, environmental and even economic point of view.
We can no longer do without a real change of outlook which will result in new life-styles,
“in which the quest for truth, beauty, goodness and communion with others for the
sake of common growth are the factors which determine consumer choices, savings and
investments”. Education for peace must increasingly begin with far-reaching decisions
on the part of individuals, families, communities and states. We are all responsible
for the protection and care of the environment. This responsibility
knows no boundaries. In accordance with the principle of subsidiarity it is important
for everyone to be committed at his or her proper level, working to overcome the prevalence
of particular interests. A special role in raising awareness and in formation belongs
to the different groups present in civil society and to the non-governmental organizations
which work with determination and generosity for the spread of ecological responsibility,
responsibility which should be ever more deeply anchored in respect for “human
ecology”. The media also have a responsibility in this regard to offer positive and
inspiring models. In a word, concern for the environment calls for a broad global
vision of the world; a responsible common effort to move beyond approaches based on
selfish nationalistic interests towards a vision constantly open to the needs of all
peoples. We cannot remain indifferent to what is happening around us, for the deterioration
of any one part of the planet affects us all. Relationships between individuals, social
groups and states, like those between human beings and the environment, must be marked
by respect and “charity in truth”. In this broader context one can only encourage
the efforts of the international community to ensure progressive disarmament and a
world free of nuclear weapons, whose presence alone threatens the life of the planet
and the ongoing integral development of the present generation and of generations
yet to come. 12. The Church has a responsibility towards creation, and she considers
it her duty to exercise that responsibility in public life, in order to protect earth,
water and air as gifts of God the Creator meant for everyone, and above all to save
mankind from the danger of self-destruction. The degradation of nature is closely
linked to the cultural models shaping human coexistence: consequently, “when ‘human
ecology’ is respected within society, environmental ecology also benefits”. Young
people cannot be asked to respect the environment if they are not helped, within families
and society as a whole, to respect themselves. The book of nature is one and indivisible;
it includes not only the environment but also individual, family and social ethics.
Our duties towards the environment flow from our duties towards the person, considered
both individually and in relation to others. Hence I readily encourage efforts
to promote a greater sense of ecological responsibility which, as I indicated in my
Encyclical Caritas in Veritate, would safeguard an authentic “human ecology” and thus
forcefully reaffirm the inviolability of human life at every stage and in every condition,
the dignity of the person and the unique mission of the family, where one is trained
in love of neighbour and respect for nature. There is a need to safeguard the human
patrimony of society. This patrimony of values originates in and is part of the natural
moral law, which is the foundation of respect for the human person and creation. 13. Nor
must we forget the very significant fact that many people experience peace
and tranquillity, renewal and reinvigoration, when they come into close contact with
the beauty and harmony of nature. There exists a certain reciprocity: as we care for
creation, we realize that God, through creation, cares for us. On the other hand,
a correct understanding of the relationship between man and the environment will not
end by absolutizing nature or by considering it more important than the human person.
If the Church’s magisterium expresses grave misgivings about notions of the environment
inspired by ecocentrism and biocentrism, it is because such notions eliminate the
difference of identity and worth between the human person and other living things.
In the name of a supposedly egalitarian vision of the “dignity” of all living creatures,
such notions end up abolishing the distinctiveness and superior role of human beings.
They also open the way to a new pantheism tinged with neo-paganism, which would see
the source of man’s salvation in nature alone, understood in purely naturalistic terms.
The Church, for her part, is concerned that the question be approached in a balanced
way, with respect for the “grammar” which the Creator has inscribed in his handiwork
by giving man the role of a steward and administrator with responsibility over creation,
a role which man must certainly not abuse, but also one which he may not abdicate.
In the same way, the opposite position, which would absolutize technology and human
power, results in a grave assault not only on nature, but also on human dignity itself. 14. If
you want to cultivate peace, protect creation. The quest for peace by people of good
will surely would become easier if all acknowledge the indivisible relationship between
God, human beings and the whole of creation. In the light of divine Revelation and
in fidelity to the Church’s Tradition, Christians have their own contribution to make.
They contemplate the cosmos and its marvels in light of the creative work of the Father
and the redemptive work of Christ, who by his death and resurrection has reconciled
with God “all things, whether on earth or in heaven” (Col 1:20). Christ, crucified
and risen, has bestowed his Spirit of holiness upon mankind, to guide the course of
history in anticipation of that day when, with the glorious return of the Saviour,
there will be “new heavens and a new earth” (2 Pet 3:13), in which justice and peace
will dwell for ever. Protecting the natural environment in order to build a world
of peace is thus a duty incumbent upon each and all. It is an urgent challenge, one
to be faced with renewed and concerted commitment; it is also a providential opportunity
to hand down to coming generations the prospect of a better future for all. May this
be clear to world leaders and to those at every level who are concerned for the future
of humanity: the protection of creation and peacemaking are profoundly linked!
For this reason, I invite all believers to raise a fervent prayer to God, the all-powerful
Creator and the Father of mercies, so that all men and women may take to heart the
urgent appeal: If you want to cultivate peace, protect creation. From the Vatican,
8 December 2009