“As we turn the calendar to September and Spring spreads its wings, we begin the month-long celebration of the Season of Creation. We all know the planet is in trouble with the ecological crisis upon us. All kinds of voices are heard in the debate about the crisis and how to address it. The question is what kind of voice the Church should have in the debate. We certainly don’t speak the language of ideology, politics or economics. We leave that to others. But we speak a language of our own, a biblical and Gospel word which no-one else can or will speak. This is because at its heart the ecological crisis is a spiritual crisis; and unless that is recognised our response to it will be one-dimensional. As Pope Francis has said, the crisis begins with the desertification of the heart and leads to the desertification of the planet. So we need to listen to the cry of the exploited earth, but we also need to go down into the desert of our heart. As Christians, we need to embrace a contemplative ecology which learns to look at and listen to creation in a new way. That’s what will energise us to work for change that is deeply grounded and truly effective, the kind of change made possible by the power of the Gospel.”
- Archbishop Mark Coleridge, Archdiocese of Brisbane