Bishop and Ambassador Spearhead Catholic efforts to go Carbon Neutral
On Tuesday (1st October) the Bishop of Salford met with the British Ambassador to the Holy See and his representatives to showcase the latest developments in a unique project aimed at developing a generalisable framework for sustainability transition in the Catholic Church, for use in the Catholic Church of England and Wales and beyond.
The ‘Guardians of Creation’ project is supported by the Bishops Conference of England and Wales, with Bishop John Arnold the project sponsor. The strategic goal of the project is to help the Catholic community in the UK make transformational change towards carbon neutrality and a more sustainable future.
The project team, which includes researchers from St Mary’s University, The Laudato Research Institute, Campion Hall, University of Oxford, and The Tyndall Centre, The University of Manchester are developing this framework over a two-year pilot case study in the Diocese of Salford. The project team are also collaborating with dioceses across England and Wales.
Bishop Arnold and representatives from the ‘Guardians of Creation’ team accepted an invitation from the British Ambassador to the Holy See, Christopher Trott, to showcase their project to representatives of the Holy See, Catholic networks and Diplomats accredited to the Holy See.
Four years on from its launch, Guardians of Creation has developed user-friendly action guides that provide the first systematic framework for decarbonising the Catholic Church in the UK. This project is an interdisciplinary, multi-institutional research programme, and provides research-based solutions, to engage with issues relating to the social and theological aspects of sustainability in the Catholic Church. It gives step-by-step manuals for everything from technical advice on identifying and replacing old gas-guzzling boilers with greener versions, to how parish priests can motivate their parishioners to take their individual responsibility seriously through their homilies.
The aim of the visit was to display this world-leading example of UK best practice in the hope that the project can be scaled up worldwide. The Catholic Church is in the unique position to be able to reach out to congregations across the world.
Speaking ahead of the launch event, Bishop John said: “The Catholic Church recognises the ecological crisis we are living through and is keen to play its part in delivering the UK net-zero strategy.
As the lead Diocese for the Guardians of Creation Project, we are looking to share our understanding of how to put a Catholic diocese on the path to decarbonisation, and this collaborative research tells us what needs to be done and what structures must be put in place to support this.
I hope that the findings will assist organisations and institutions beyond the Church both here and abroad and I would like to thank the Ambassador to the Holy See for the opportunity to share this project on an international platform.
We understand the need for the Church to use its voice, its people, and its resources to create a different legacy for the next generation. A legacy built on joy, hope and renewal as we strive for a better way to live in harmony with our common home. “
The British Ambassador to the Holy See, Christopher Trott, said: “The Catholic Church, alongside all faith communities worldwide, play a vital role in driving action on climate change. Guardians of Creation is an excellent example of turning ambition into action at grassroots level. The British Government is firmly committed to supporting solutions such as these for making decarbonisation a reality. My hope is that this initiative, launched by Bishop John Arnold with the support of his team, can be a source of inspiration for those seeking to take concrete steps towards a liveable planet for all.”
The visit also provided the opportunity for several valuable meetings, including with Caritas International, the Dicastery for the Promotion of Integral Human Development, the Governorate of Vatican City State and the Pontifical Academy for Social Sciences to further investigate ways in which faith communities can work together to live out our common call to care for creation and our brothers and sisters around the world.
You can read more about how the Guardians of Creation can help in your parish with this parish guide:
