The International Theological Commission (ITC), a body linked to the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith of the Holy See, published a new document proposing that environmental degradation be formally defined as a "sin" against God and nature. The text, entitled "Caring for Our Common Home: Responsible and Fraternal Response to the Trinitarian God," received the approval of Pope Leo XIV and was developed over the last five-year period, with its publication authorized on August 21.
The theologians propose that ecological sin be understood as an action or omission against God, against one's neighbor, the community, and the environment, emphasizing that it is a sin against future generations that manifests itself in acts of pollution, destruction of environmental harmony, and rupture of solidarity networks among creatures. The formulation aims to simultaneously encompass the damage inflicted on nature and the disrespect for the design of the Creator, who entrusted human beings with the custody and care of the Common Home.
The document criticizes the current economic model, proposing an alternative system at the service of the life of all, governed by the criterion of sustainability and respecting the biorhythms of the Common Home. The ITC repudiates the "predatory anthropocentrism" that grants humanity the right to use and abuse natural resources without limits, but also distances itself from extreme environmental philosophies such as biocentrism or radical ecocentrism, warning that these perspectives suppress the difference in value between the human person and other living beings.
The body proposes as an alternative "situated anthropocentrism," a concept supported by Leo XIV in his encyclical "Magnifica humanitas," which repositions the human being as administrator and servant of creation. The reflection underlines the connection between the "cry of the earth" and the "cry of the poor," demanding a comprehensive "ecological conversion." The position of the Catholic Church on the ecological crisis gained prominence in 2015 with the publication of Francis's encyclical "Laudato Si'."
