Catholic Earthcare Australia is an agency of the

Australian Catholic Bishops Conference The Australian Catholic Bishops’ Conference (ACBC) is the national episcopal conference of the Catholic bishops of Australia and is the instrumentality used by the Australian Catholic bishops to act nationally and address issues of national s ...

and is the environmental arm of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. This executive agency of the Bishops' Commission for Justice and Development (BCJD) is mandated with the mission of advising, supporting and assisting the BCJD in responding to

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

's call to "stimulate and sustain the ecological conversion" throughout the Catholic church in Australia and beyond. In May 2017, the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference decided to incorporate Catholic Earthcare Australia into its sister agency, Caritas Australia. This change was made to strengthen the capacity of Catholic Earthcare Australia, particularly in advocating and educating about the principles of Holy Father's 2015 encyclical, Laudato Si, and to achieve synergies with Caritas Australia's extensive education and advocacy work around Australia, including parishes, schools and the wider Catholic community on environmental issues such as climate change.

Mandate from the Australian Bishops

;Tasks and ResponsibilitiesMandate from the Australian Bishop

accessed 25 August 2015 Catholic Earthcare Australia will act as an advisory agency to the BCJD on ecological matters, including the safeguarding of the integrity of creation, environmental justice and ecological

sustainability Specific definitions of sustainability are difficult to agree on and have varied in the literature and over time. The concept of sustainability can be used to guide decisions at the global, national, and individual levels (e.g. sustainable livi ...

. ;Its tasks will include: * carrying out research, from the perspective of scripture and the Church's environmental and social justice teachings; * developing national networks, with a view to initiating, linking, resourcing and supporting ecological endeavours within the Church, and extending the hand of friendship and cooperation to other like-minded groups working in the broader community; * undertaking initiatives by encouraging a reverence for creation, a responsible stewardship of Earth's natural resources and ecosystems, and providing a voice for the victims of pollution, environmental degradation and injustice; * providing educational materials and services to Catholic schools, organisations, congregations and parishes - particularly information to assist in the carrying out of environmental audits and the implementation of more ecologically and ethically sustainable practices.

References

External links

Catholic Earthcare
Christianity and environmentalism Catholic Church in Australia {{Australia-org-stub Environmental education Environmental organisations based in Australia