Dear CCANers,
“All is not lost. Human beings, while capable of the worst, are also capable of rising above themselves, choosing again what is good, and making a new start.”
These are the words of Pope Francis, issued June 18th as part of his historic “encyclical” on climate change and the environment. Encyclicals are Papal letters to the clergy and laity of the church that are considered highly authoritative. In this 184-page document, Francis spells out the urgency of the climate crisis, describes the spiritual and economic failures underpinning the crisis, and – most importantly – emphasizes the need for immediate and sustained ACTION from our leaders and from grassroots citizens worldwide like you and me.
Action. It’s the only way we can “rise above” the moral obscenity of profligate fossil fuel use and make a “new start” with clean wind and solar power. All too often we see people move from outright denial over climate change to outright paralyzing despair when the denial finally ends, without pausing in between on action, on actually doing something about the crisis. And now the most-recognized moral leader in the world – Pope Francis – has called on all the people of the world, not just Catholics, to see and repair the scourge of climate change.
Most moving to me as I read through the encyclical – titled “Laudato Si’,” or “Praise Be to You” – was the emphasis throughout on the appalling and unfair impacts global warming will bring to the world’s poor, who are least to blame for the problem. As a Christian myself – Presbyterian – and as a former Peace Corps Volunteer in the Congo, this issue hits home for me. In the tiny African village where I lived in the 1980s, it wasn’t a question of dirty coal-fired electricity versus clean wind power. These villagers had NO electricity whatsoever. And still don’t. And no cars. And virtually no carbon-intensive meat consumption. Yet the poorest villages worldwide are being walloped – as we speak – by the floods and droughts and extreme weather they cannot adapt to. It’s totally unfair.
Thankfully, there are lots of actions we can take right now here in Maryland, Virginia and DC to right this wrong. The Pope will be bringing his message directly to DC in September with an address to Congress and a Mass at Catholic University. As an act of solidarity with the Pope, won’t you join me and thousands of others for a “Moral March” on Sunday, September 20th? It’s being organized by our friends at the group “Moral Action On Climate.” It’s going to be big and it’s going to be spirited. And – especially if you are Catholic or religious – please make plans to attend a prayer vigil on the capitol grounds on the week of September 20th, more details will be sent out soon. Learn more about local Catholic leaders putting the Pope’s call into action by visiting this great resource page from our friends at Interfaith Power and Light.
Of course there’s also plenty to do beyond the Pope’s visit. CCAN, since its founding 13 years ago, has proudly included the word “action” in our very name. So get ready for a busy summer and fall taking action across the region: phone banking, door knocking, emailing, and marching for clean energy right here where we live. We’ll be working to pass a statewide carbon cap in Virginia, implementing a carbon tax in DC, and dramatically expanding wind and solar power development in Maryland.
As a people, we are indeed capable of rising above ourselves and choosing again what is good. The Pope just gave the world a big reminder of the core truth. And CCAN is here to help give you a way to make it happen every day.
Power to the people!
Mike Tidwell
