As part of Diocese of Worcester's celebration of the 5th Anniversary of Laudato Si, the Environmental Stewardship Ministry was pleased to host a talk by Claire Schaeffer-Duffy at the close of the Diocese of Worcester Green Mass in October.
Claire’s talk provided a compelling but very sad story of the plight of a small slice of St James Louisiana. The Fifth District, where the population is 85% Black, is fighting further encroachment by global petrochemical companies into their community which is part of the infamous Cancer Alley.
We have to realize that a true ecological approach always becomes a social approach. It must integrate questions of justice in debates on the environment, so as to hear both the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor. (Laudato SI’ 49)
Over the last year, there has been a challenging discussion across the country about systemic racism. One sign of racism is that the poor, often people of color, bear the brunt of environmental degradation.
We are called in Laudato Si’ to an ecological conversion.
The USCCB says that “the needs of the poor take priority over the desires of the rich; … the preservation of the environment over uncontrolled industrial expansion….” (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Economic Justice for All, no. 94)
Claire challenged us to think about the plastics included in our purchases particularly during this Christmas season, but also more generally in our lifestyles. A recent study analyzed the impact of plastics on human food and water and concluded that each person may be ingesting the equivalent of a credit card of plastic each week (WWF study). There are legislative proposals being made which would hold corporations accountable for the damage of plastics pollution. Please review the Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act of 2020.