Just Water: chap.

Colt Lien & Max Trochlil

The Progressive Catholic Church

● Catholic Church often not thought of as a progressive sect of Christianity

● Election of Pope Francis in 2013
○ “These days we do not have a very good relationship with creation, do we?”
● Vatican City is the first pledges to become the first carbon-neutral country in
the world.
● Key points of Catholic Environmentalism
○ Theological
○ Ethical
Catholic Social Teaching

● Catholic Theology strives to promote the dignity and integrity of all human
beings.
○ 1891 - “On the condition of labor”
○ 1967 - “development is more than an economic phenomenon”
● Much of this chapter is focused on the magisterial documents within
Catholicism and how they address the concern of fresh water as a human right
for everybody.
Fresh Water in Catholic Social Teaching

1. The “Book of Nature” can be understood through embodied experience,

intellectual reflection, and scientific inquiry. We can discern how fresh water
occupies a distinct and important role on earth.

2. Humans being stewards of creation, including fresh water.

3. Fresh water is one of the “goods of creation” meant for everyone, now and in
the future.
4. Fresh water is an essential part of integral development.
Fresh Water in Catholic Social Teaching cont.

5. Fresh water is a fundamental human right and a right-to-life issue.

6. Justice matters, and it includes preferential option for the poor.

7. Technology is useful, but it is not a panacea.

8. A culture of water is part of a culture of life.

Conclusion

● Value of water is relatively new to the Catholic Church

● Importance of technology, but not the perfect solution
● CST on water