Question: Lissy Paul

It is heard that the Amazon Synod has defined the ecological sin. What is it? How should one understand the ecological sin?

Answer: Saji Mathew Kanayankal CST

A Special Synod for the Pan – Amazon Region met at Rome between 06th to 27th October 2019 at the request of Pope Francis. The method of the Synod itself was quite new and open. It was a larger meeting over 87,000 persons from the Amazon region, who actively participated in it from different cities and cultures, that contained bishops and pastors, men and women missionaries, laymen and laywomen, and representatives of the indigenous peoples of Amazonia. The preparatory stage of the Synod was included with the participation of the wider range of population in Amazon, people like, ‘men and women missionaries, members of the Churches of other Christian Confessions, laymen, and laywomen, and many representatives of the indigenous peoples around the consultation document that inspired the Instrumentum Laboris. After the Synod, the final document was handed over to Pope Francis for his approval. According to the Synod participants, the Synod was held on an atmosphere of ‘open, free and respectful exchange’ that opens new pathways for the Church in the region’ and ‘a new experience of listening to discern the voice of the Spirit that leads the Church to new ways of presence, evangelization and inter-cultural dialogue in Amazonia.’ One of the major contributions of the Synod is its definition on ‘ecological sin.’

ECOLOGICAL SIN
In fact, the concept of ecological sin is not an entirely new contribution of Amazon Synod. Pope John Paul II, in his message on the world day of peace in 1990 observed that the ecological crisis is a ‘moral crisis’ that requires a ‘conversion.’ Later, Pope Benedict, in many of his messages underlined the moral responsibility of human being towards ecological crisis. He has offered ten commandments for the environment in which he insisted people to orient their lifestyle according to the principles of sobriety, temperance and self-discipline, both at personal and social levels.In his encyclical Laudato Si, Pope Francis speaks aboutan ‘overall personal conversion,’ for a ‘healthy relationship with creation,’ which “entails the recognition of our errors, sins, faults and failures, and leads to heartfelt repentance and desire to change.” Though the idea of conversion can be seen repeatedly in Laudatosi, it has not mentioned or defined ‘ecological sin.’ However, in the document of Amazon Synod, Ecological sin is defined, as “an action or omission against God, against our neighbour, the community and the environment.” Accordingly, ecological sin is manifested “in acts and habits of contamination and destruction of the harmony of the environment, a transgression of the principle of inter-dependence and rupture of the solidarity networks between creatures (Cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 340-344) and against the virtue of justice.” It is a sin against future generations.

SIN HARMS THE  HARMONY OF THE  ECOSYSTEM
By defining the ecological sin, the Synod underlines its various impacts. Basically, sin harms the harmony of the entire ecosystem. The underlying principle of the biblical covenant tradition is an experience of relatedness – an experience of a foundational relationship between God and His people that furthers the social order and cosmic order. Accordingly, the stability and firmness of the universe depend on the relationship between God and His people. It affirms the breadth and subtlety of the interrelatedness of human being with God as well as with the different ecosystems. When the covenant relationship is broken, there can be total annihilation or rupture.

Today, we see a kind of indifference towards transcendence and negation of God from our life and society and thus there can be vivid elimination of the inner value of religion from the main sphere of the society. As a modern technocratic society, the present generation overturns to the marketisation and consumerism, forsaking its religious roots and transcendent values, and is driven by purely neo-liberal economic principles. Due to the manipulative influence of different scientific, economic and technological theories, the autonomous self-determination and individualism became the underlying feature of present culture. ‘The idea of human createdness is eclipsed by the autonomous self’ that prompts one to negate the idea of creation and thus to deny the role of God in human lives and society. Thus the ‘autonomous’ human being tries to transform the world according to his/her whims and plans. Consequently, the concept of well-being and happiness has been interpreted in terms of material and economic progress. The emphasis on material dimensions and negligence of God shrink the spiritual and religious components of human existence and shatter the equilibrium of the rhythm of life and existence and alienate us from inner-self, fellow citizens and nature.

RUPTURE IN THE WEB OF INTERRELATEDNESS
Secondly, the ecological sin is a transgression of the principle of interdependence. The fundamental faith experience of the Bible is expressed in terms of the creatorship of God. This vision of creation underlines and affirms the sovereignty of God, His creatorship and thus the creatureliness of all earthly existing beings. The sovereignty of God functions as the foundation of the interconnectedness between the different spheres of existence as well. The logic is plain: if God is the creator of all creatures, all beings in the created world are related each other ipso facto. The interconnectedness and the reciprocal affiliation are the direct outcome of the act of creation which coalesces every created being in the web of mutual dependence on each other towards ‘a community of interconnected living things.’ This mutual dependence affirms the interdependence of every species and every member of every species by a complex web of interrelationships. In the order of creation, each member, ‘in being itself’ contributes to the whole, and realises its potential that is conducive for the flourishing of life. In the contemporary industrialised culture, wherein people are involved with their own obsessions and interests, we most often disregard our relatedness with the rest of the creation.

The sin makes a rupture of solidarity network between creatures. In Biblical tradition, sin of the first parents has paramount significance for the entire humanity. By sin the mutual wellbeing is turned into a destructive rapaciousness that seek self-benefit at the expense or disregard of the other. When human beings exceed the proper role given to them in creation, they deny the goodness and sufficiency of the creation and distrust good intentions of the creator. The sin leads to a break of the relationship, between God and humans, between man and women, between them and the serpent and finally between them and the earth. Since there is strong bond between the humans and the earth (Adam and Adama), the divine curse affects not only the humans but also the earth. As a result of the sin, the ground or land is cursed (Gen 3:17)! Ground or earth is not a moral or lifeless, but it is a site in terms of which moral judgment can be extended. In the biblical tradition, fate of the earth and the fate of humanity are interrelated. The blood of the brother has cried for justice from the ground and because of the evil deed of Cain, the earth is cursed. The murderer is driven from the soil (Gen 4: 9-10, 14).

THE QUESTION OF  ECOLOGICAL JUSTICE
And finally, the ecological sins are sins against the virtue of justice. In Christian ethics, justice is defined as to give each one his/her due. In general, when we speak of our neighbour, we think of our fellow human beings. But in the contemporary development of eco-theological ethics, as we think of our neighbour, we must consider how our actions affect all of those around us. The Christian love is ‘God’s love,’ which is ‘inclusive or universal.’ So, an ecological ethic rooted in Christian faith sees a reasonable extension of love to the whole creation, in order to re-present the all-encompassing affection and care of God. The concept of the ‘Assessment of the environmental impact’ that Pope Francis speaks in his encyclical, Laudato Si, is relevant in this context. According to him, while making any new developmental project, alone with many other considerations, one should also see the ‘possible risks to the environment which may affect the common good now and in the future’ and the decisions must be made “based on a comparison of the risks and benefits foreseen for the various possible alternatives.” Ecological justice celebrates the interconnection and interdependence of all beings, and recognizes our human responsibility to co-exist in harmony for the well-being of the earth community. It promotes human dignity, the self-determination of all persons, and the development of sustainable economies with justice for all within a finite world. It is both social and environmental justice. Ecological justice rests on the principle that ‘everything is interrelated,’ and that ethical action in the environmental sphere is central to equity at a social level. In short, the concept of ecological sin reminds us that there is an order in the universe which must be respected and that the human person, endowed with the capability of choosing freely, has a grave responsibility to preserve this order for the well-being of the entire earth and of the future generations.