The Bishop Writes

(From the May 20, 1999 edition of the Inland Register)

This season of Confirmations has provided me the opportunity to see most of the diocese in a relatively brief time. I am always amazed at the beautiful part of the world in which we live. The beautiful fields, the rolling hills, the mountains, the orchards, the rivers, and the many small communities are all part of a wonderfully diverse area in which we live.

One of the significant features of our geographic area is the Columbia River, with its tributaries and watershed.

Several years ago at our Washington State Catholic Conference board meeting, the suggestion was brought up about the possibility of writing a pastoral letter on the Columbia River. The original idea came from a conference at Mount Angel Abbey in Oregon. The concept found strong support at our Catholic Conference meeting. The bishops serving the areas of the Columbia River drainage were contacted, and they approved of the project.

The concept of the Church addressing our responsibility for the environment is not something on the peripheral of her teaching. Pope John Paul II in his 1990 World Day of Peace message, “Peace With All Creation,” issued a strong statement about the moral challenge of handling responsibly the earth on which we live. He also connected the environment to poverty of people and the need to be in solidarity with everyone as we address challenges and work for solutions.

In 1991, the Catholic bishops of the United States approved a pastoral letter on the environment, titled “Renewing the Earth.” The bishops pointed out that the global problem of the environment involves a moral and religious crisis. In their specific aims listed for this pastoral letter, they hoped a broader conversation would begin on the potential contribution of the Church to the environmental question.

The Canadian bishops issued their own pastoral letter on the environment in 1995. The bishops in Alberta have written a shorter statement on the care of God’s creation.

Finally, the Holy Father in his latest World Day of Peace message this past Jan. 1, on human rights, again mentions the environment.

In preparation for this pastoral on the Columbia, a steering committee was formed with representatives from the seven dioceses in the watershed to help oversee the initial phases of the project. In addition, Catholic universities from the region were represented on this committee. The common practice for pastoral letters here in the United States has been to involve the Church in a broad consultation process before the pastoral letter is finalized. This type of consultation occurred both for the pastoral letter on peace (The Challenge of Peace: God’s Promise and Our Response, 1983) and the pastoral on economics (Economic Justice for All: Pastoral Letter on Catholic Social Teaching and the U.S. Economy, 1986).

The Columbia River watershed is a unique and complex reality. The river is used to generate electrical energy. Its waters are used for irrigation, barge traffic, recreation, migration of salmon, and industry. Dams, especially in the Canadian part of the river — one-third of the Columbia is in Canada — help to provide flood control. Large government projects, such as the Hanford Nuclear Reservation and the Umatilla Army depot, are located next to the river. Our Native American brothers and sister have lived on the banks of the river for millennia. Competing values have caused considerable polarization as society looks to important decisions for the future.

The steering committee attended eight listening sessions, or readings of the signs of times. They were held in Portland, Seattle, Hanford, Toppenish, Umatilla, Castlegar, Spokane, and Hermiston. A wide variety of presenters shared their views about the river. I attended all of the sessions and frequently heard appreciation expressed to the Church for holding these sessions in a more neutral atmosphere. My hope is that the letter will provide an opportunity for continuing spiritual reflection and civil dialogue about this important resource and gift in our midst.

A reflection in preparation for the pastoral letter is now available on a web site as a reference point for broad consultation in all of the dioceses in the watershed for the next six months. The bishops will then take this feedback and put the letter into final form — we hope by next April. In addition, there may be a video and a picture book form of the pastoral.

A question frequently asked of me is, why should the Church be involved in this type of project? Some have even indicated that the bishops should stay out of this matter.

However, the Church is concerned about the world in which we live. We have a body of social and ethical teaching which helps to give guidance to decisions we make about our lives and God’s creation about us. Our spirituality and history as many different peoples need to be remembered and appreciated. The Church is concerned about the welfare of all people and good stewardship of our lives and of the land on which we live. We believe in our responsibility for the common good. We strive to promote a vision of a just and sustainable way for people of the watershed to relate to the river.

This is our first experience in the region to write a pastoral letter not only for ourselves as a Catholic family, but for all people of good will as a tool for reflection, relationship and making decisions. May the Holy Spirit guide us so that these efforts of formulating the pastoral will truly contribute to the strengthening of our solidarity as a human family and deepen our responsibility of caring for this gift in our midst.

May God bless you and give you peace.

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