[Nazareth School in Chandapura, Bangalore]
“When we speak of the ‘environment’, what we really mean is a relationship existing between nature and the society which lives in it. Nature cannot be regarded as something separate from ourselves or as a mere setting in which we live. We are part of nature, included in it and thus in constant interaction with it…We are faced not with two separate crises, one environmental and the other social, but rather with one complex crisis which is both social and environmental. Strategies for a solution demand an integrated approach to combating poverty, restoring dignity to the excluded, and at the same time protecting nature.” [Laudato Si’ 139]
Challenge: When you are ministering to the economically poor, look also at their surroundings and how you might improve the natural environment around them.
Example Action: SCNs in the Western Province are educating themselves about integral ecology and collaborating with others to promote ecological transformation.