The Garden of God: Toward A Human Ecology

The Keys to the Earth Are in the Hands of Man

35 creation & nature world.18 Together we can build an integral human development beneficial for all peoples, present and future, a development inspired by the values of charity in truth. For this to happen it is essential that the current model of global development be transformed through a greater, and shared, acceptance of responsibility for creation: this is demanded not only by environmental factors, but also by the scandal of hunger and human misery. Dear brothers and sisters, let us now give thanks to the Lord and make our own the words of St. Francis found in “The Canticle of All Creatures”: Most High, all-powerful, all-good Lord, All praise is Yours, all glory, all honor and all blessings. To you alone, Most High, do they belong. So says St. Francis. We, too, wish to pray and live in the spirit of these words. The Keys to the Earth Are in the Hands of Man From Address to a Group of Sponsors and Promoters of the Holy See Pavilion at the 2008 International Exposition in Zaragoza (Spain), September 10, 2009 The Holy See pavilion, one of the most visited and appreciated , housed an important exhibition of the valuable artistic, cultural, and religious patrimony that the Church looks after. The initiative aimed to offer its numerous visitors a timely re18 . Cf. Benedict XVI, Caritas in Veritate, n. 50. 36 creation & nature flection on the importance and fundamental value of water for human life. Through its participation in the Zaragoza Expo, the Holy See sought not only to demonstrate the imperative need to protect the environment and nature constantly but also to discover their deepest spiritual and religious dimension. Today, as never before, it is essential to help people grasp that creation is something more than a simple source of wealth to be exploited by human hands. Indeed, when God, through creation, gave man the keys to the earth, he expected him to use this great gift properly, making it fruitful in a responsible and respectful way. The human being discovers the intrinsic value of nature if he learns to see it as it truly is, the expression of a project of love and truth which speaks to us of the Creator and of his love for humanity, which will find its fullness in Christ at the end of time.19 In this regard, it is appropriate to recall once again the close relationship that exists between protection of the environment and respect for the ethical requirements of human nature, since “when the ‘human ecology’ is respected within society, environmental ecology also benefits.”20 Creation Is Marked by Finitude From Angelus, November 15, 2009 This year, we have been accompanied along our itinerary through the Sunday biblical readings by St. Mark’s Gospel, 19. Cf. ibid., n. 48. 20. Ibid., n. 51. ...