Towards a Mercy Theological Reflection process
on the Future We Want
(This reflection has been been prepared by Earth Link, and has no official standing within the Sisters of Mercy. It is offered for your reflection and to assist you to focus on some of the current deliberations at Rio+20. )
Our Commitment:As Sisters of Mercy, we are “committed consciously” to activities which “restore our relationship with Earth and to redress injustice affecting those most impoverished in Earth’s community.”
We are also “continually challenged and moved to develop creative ways to respond and collaborate more effectively to eliminate all types of oppression and restore all life-giving interdependent relationships. “ (from Statement of Mercy International Association Cosmology and Ecojustice group).
This commitment receives expression in various Mercy statements, and very succinctly in this fragment from the vision statement from Mercy Kindling:
Aware of our brokenness, we join with other in healing the wounds of earth and earth’s people.
Our commitment is consistent with the words of Pope Benedict XVI in his address on the World Day of Peace, 1st January 2010, when he said ‘We are all responsible for the protection and care of the environment. This responsibility knows no boundaries…We cannot remain indifferent to what is happening around us, for the deterioration of any part of the planet affects us all.'
The following is a framework for theological reflection which can inform your deliberations on issues pertinent to Rio +20, the 2012 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development.
This theological reflection process has four stages:
- Articulation of the stories and experiences
- An analysis of the context of these experiences
- Bringing this analysis into dialogue with our wisdom traditions(biblical, theological, spiritual, ecclesial)
- Vision, theology and praxis
1 Articulation of the stories and experiences
Each individual, group, nation and region has differing expectations of Rio, according to the issues that are being experienced at this time. First, consider this overview of the objectives, themes and issues that form the agenda:
From where you stand (ie from your experience, in your locality, nation or region) what issues need to be considered and enhanced by the deliberations in Rio?
2 An analysis of the context of these experiences
The title of this UN conference on Sustainable Development is The Future we Want. Information is available at
Mercy International Association, in its statement to governments on Rio +20, focuses on the need for
An ethical and equitable global vision that promotes ecological and social integrity, the global common good, and the wellbeing of all .
Its specific recommendations call for (a) a more equitable and just economic system; (b) a critique of the use of the Gross National Product (GNP) as the measure of economic progress; and (c) the need for the use and enforcement of the Precautionary Principle.
Some of its key understandings/principles in making these recommendations include the following:
(a)A more equitable and just economic system
In calling for a more just and equitable economic system, Sisters of Mercy are cognisant of the growing gap between rich and poor, and between developed and developing countries. They are aware that these inequities give rise to tensions between nations, and to practices that degrade planet Earth. This recommendation calls for the eradication of poverty.
(b)Critique of GNP as the measure of economic progress
The notion of a “green economy” features strongly in the preparations for Rio. While the language may seem admirable, this model has been criticised as a “disguised liberal economic model” (iii Council of Canadians) As Maude Barlow and Pablo Solon have articulated in the book “The Rights of Nature: The Case for a Universal Declaration of the Rights of Mother Earth”, this proposed false Green Economy, with backing from the most powerful and destructive global institutions, is very dangerous. It is about privatizing and enclosing the last remaining commons and having access over those who cannot pay or compete.
The Council of Canadians Council of Canadians strongly advocates that we keep the natural world out of the market system. It critiques moves to extend property rights to include the natural world; advocates that we reclaim the commons (eg water) out of the market system; and calls for a body of law that recognizes the rights of nature.
A new economic paradigm requires a new paradigm which provides “broadly shared prosperity that meets human needs while preserving the earth’s ecological integrity and resilience—in short, a flourishing people and a flourishing nature. “ (Gustave Speth) This is a new paradigm for sustainable development, and would need to be regulated by a global governance system based on the same values.
(c)The need for the use and enforcement of the Precautionary Principle.
To quote Wikipedia, “the precautionary principle or precautionary approach states that if an action or policy has a suspected risk of causing harm to the public or to the environment, in the absence of scientific consensus that the action or policy is harmful, the burden of proof that it is not harmful falls on those taking the action.”
This is a fundamental principle which recognises the uncertain nature of some actions about which there is insufficient knowledge of the consequences. The use of genetically modified food and some coal seam gas mining would surely fall into this category.
How do the recommendations of Mercy International Association (a,b, and c above) resonate with your experiences named in the first part of the process?
3 Bringing this analysis into dialogue with our wisdom traditions(biblical, theological, spiritual, ecclesial)
As religious leaders, we recognise both the strengths and limits of our contribution to any deliberations about sustainable development. We are aware that there are many teachings and historical and current actions of religious and spiritual organizations that support unsustainability in all its forms. We acknowledge that we have and continue in varying degrees to contribute to such teachings and practices.
We recognize, too, that we, along with other religious groups, do have a contribution to make in the area of wisdom, values and ethics. We can draw on our presence in many countries where unsustainable policies and practices are causing havoc to Earth and cosmos. We draw on our presence with people whose very lives and livelihood are threatened by poverty, malnutrition and disease brought about by inadequate shelter and sanitation.
The commitment of the Sisters of Mercy was articulated at the beginning of this document. In making this commitment, we are motivated by a vision and values, and particularly by
- our awareness of God'spresence in all Creation, an awareness that is deeply rooted in the Judaeo-Christian tradition, and enhanced by our continuing exploration of the story of the Universe within a contemporary cosmological framework
- acknowledging, holding and respecting the energy, sacredness, and interconnectedness of all life's ongoing stories
- our knowledgebased on experience that those whose lives and well being are most threatened by social and ecological injustices may be the least able to resist oppression
In keeping with our Judaeo-Christian tradition we draw on some significant scriptural and other texts, while acknowledging that just as many texts could be quoted as having a vision of Earth as subject to human domination.
Earth as Breath of God
When you send forth your breath they are created; and you renew the face of the ground (Ps 104, 29-30)
Persons as earth
Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I shall return there (Job 1, 21)
Persons as responsible for Earth wellbeing
Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to serve and preserve it (Genesis 2, 15)
Earth as part of the covenant relationship with God
God said: “This is the sign of the covenant I will make between me and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations. I have set my bow in the clouds, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth” (Genesis 9, 12-13)
Earth laments
They have made the land a desolation; desolate it mourns to me. The whole land is made desolate, and no one lays it to heart” (Jeremiah 12,11)
Sacred Presence in the land
I will grant peace in the land...and I will make my dwelling place in your midst, and I will not abhor you. I will walk among you and be your God, and you shall be my people” (Leviticus 26, 6, 11-12)
God’s creative dream
“The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, the lion shall eat straw like the ox; but the serpent-its food shall be dust! They shall not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain” (Isaiah 65, 25)
Sacred Presence
I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert to give drink to my people” (Isaiah 43, 19-21)
God become flesh
In becoming flesh, God has embraced all creatures in the interconnected web of life” (Denis Edwards)
Sacred Presence in Creation
In the beginning was Sophia and Sophia was with God. She was in the beginning with God and all things were made through her, and without her was not made anything that was made (John 1 read in the light of Wisdom 8)
Obedience to the voice of the earth
Obedience to the voice of the earth, of being, is more important for our future happiness than the voices of the moment, the desires of the moment. … being itself, our earth, speaks to us and we must listen if we want to survive and to decipher this message of the earth.” Pope Benedict XVI
Other principles can be drawn from sources such as documents emanating from the Vatican, the Earth Charter, the proposed Declaration on the Rights of Mother Earth, and from environmental writers such as Thomas Berry, Brain Swimme et al.
4Vision, theology and praxis
We are calling for a viable future for the whole Earth community. We call for policies and practices that incorporate these principles and values
- key values for human-Earth flourishing as shared by the world religions. These values include: reverence, respect, restraint, redistribution, responsibility and renewal.
- recognition of the integrity of creation, the interconnectedness of all and respect and care for the community of life and future generations
- recognition of the limits of the current growth paradigm with its emphasis on consumption of ever diminishing resources
- a recognition of the need for awe and wonder, for appreciation and responsiveness to a deeper dimension of existence that has created and sustains all that is
- a recognition of the rights of nature and enshrinement of these rights in legally binding frameworks
We commit to active involvement in carrying forward those outcomes of Rio+20 which are consistent with our principles and values.
Our praxis, wherever we are situated, will draw on our principles and values.