If you aspire to be a faithful member of the Church, as I do, you may not always realize how important you are. But read, with me, some excerpts from a 2025 report by the Lutheran World Federation, “Beyond Material Loss.” Other Christian communions, from Rome to Canterbury and beyond, have published similar studies and manifestos. I myself have long championed many of them, above all Pope Francis’ Laudato Si’. But this statement, for sure, at least from my parochial perspective, is well worth your attention along with all the rest, especially since it tells you how important you are in this our era of global ecojustice crisis. Consider the following excerpts.
“Prologue: Faith-based organizations play a pivotal role in supporting communities facing non-economic loss and damage. They provide emotional and spiritual care, helping individuals and communities cope with the profound grief and trauma associated with the loss of cultural heritage, identity, community bonds, and spiritual connection to the land. As trusted institutions within many communities, they offer continuity and hope amid disruption, fostering resilience and solidarity. Additionally, faith-based organizations act as crucial bridges between grassroots movements and larger policy frameworks, advocating for the recognition and redress of non-economic losses in climate policy. Through their engagement, they ensure that the spiritual, cultural, and social dimensions of loss and damage are recognized and acknowledged, and that communities are supported holistically in their recovery.
“Commentary: It is estimated that more than 80 percent of the world’s population is associated with religions and beliefs. International development organizations have increasingly acknowledged the importance of religious actors in development policy and practice, including in health, education, climate change, and environmental issues.
“Faith communities are thus called to take concrete action for climate justice, actively promoting the participation of churches and civil society, such as setting an agenda with a strong ethical and spiritual dimension, leading social auditing for compliance with the commitments of large emitters of greenhouse gases, building bridges between different actors, and forming alliances for transformation. They can also promote behavioral changes based on their spiritual teachings. They have the potential to reach their large constituencies with environmental education and action.
“Faith communities help reframe development as a social issue as opposed to viewing it solely through an economic lens. The concept of Integral Human Development (IHD) is rooted in the belief that people are inherently social in nature so that promoting the common good is the only valid approach to ensure that everyone, everywhere, can achieve their full potential and have their basic dignity respected.”
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