Following Pope Francis’ much-acclaimed encyclical on Laudato Si and the Earth crisis, I was told by a very wise Episcopal priest and Jungian/Reichian psychologist, John Conger: “Surely this is the coming of age of creation spirituality.”
Über-capitalists were über-threatened by the encyclical—Rush Limbaugh responding by calling the pope a “Marxist,” and Fox News called the pope “the most dangerous man on the planet.”
I wrote an extended review of the encyclical for Zygon: Journal of Religion and Science, in which I pointed out how thoroughly the document follows the Four Paths of Creation Spirituality—which only makes sense since 80% of it was written by a graduate of our ICCS Master’s program at Holy Names College. Irish priest Sean MacDonogh, who has been a missionary priest in the Philippines for many decades, authored several books on ecology and spirituality.
The International Theological Commission (ITD) recently published a study entitled, “Caring For Our Common Home: A Responsible & Fraternal Response to the Triune God.” The 36-page document carries on the vision of Pope Francis and was authorized by Pope Leo.
A new category of sin for the Catholic Church comes through in this document, that of “Environmental Destruction,” called “a sin against God.” Humans are called to live in right relationship with God, neighbor and the created world. “Everything is interrelated [within] a single community life,” as the Vatican News puts it.
I would say ecocide and matricide and denial incarnated in MAGA and similar political parties worldwide is more than a “sin.” It is Evil personified. It is the antichrist among us.
The document emphases how declining biodiversity, air pollution, worsening water quality and environmental destruction from wars falls most heavily upon the poor and is a primary cause for migration in our time.
The conversion called for is of “a change in cultural values.” The document refers to how all religions can come together to preach these same values, thus the crisis can be an opportunity for ever deeper ecumenism.
This month Pope Leo celebrated outdoors in the papal garden at Castel Gandolfo, a new form of the catholic Mass called “for the care of creation.” In his homily he talked about how “contemplating creation and encountering its creator” deepens “awareness of our particular place with God’s wondrous plan and of the responsibility that we bear both personally and collectively for preserving the original harmony.”
The term “original harmony” seems very much like my term, “original blessing” (for which I was condemned by the late Pope Benedict.)
Pope Leo also called for humans to “recognize with humility the ways in which we have been unfaithful in safekeeping creation and caring for the dignity of each person.” A silent heart allows one to “hear the melodious voice of creation, through which God, the author all things, speaks to us.” A contemplation of nature “is a first step towards an authentic ecological conversion.” He prayed “for the conversion of many people, inside and outside of the church, who still do not recognize the urgency of caring for our common home.”
This headline also appeared in the news this Saturday morning: “Trump’s forced coal plant extensions thrown out by judge.” The MAGA administration ordered coal plants which were scheduled to close to remain open, “even if there is no need for them.” The DOE (Department of Energy) did this by declaring an emergency, but this end-run was declared illegal by a unanimous decision of a three-judge panel from the DC Circuit Court of Appeals.
Their decision that there was no emergency in Michigan ought to impact other coal plants that Trump has been trying to keep open. In 2026 alone, the DOE issued over 55 such emergency orders around the country.*
To be continued.
* John Timmer, “Trump’s forced coal plant extensions thrown out by Judge,” Ars Technica, September 11, 2026.
To read the transcript of Matthew Fox’s video meditation, click HERE.
Banner Image: A right relationship with nature: two people walking in woods that embrace them. Photo by Phil Hearing on Unsplash.
Queries for Contemplation
Do you find the waking up of the Catholic Church to the sacredness of creation and the evil of planetary destruction, along with other religious traditions a sign of hope in our times? And court decisions that are check-mating MAGA’s efforts to keep coal plants operating?
Related Readings by Matthew Fox
Creation Spirituality: Liberating Gifts for the Peoples of the Earth.
A Spirituality Named Compassion: Uniting Mystical Awareness with Social Justice.
Original Blessing: A Primer in Creation Spirituality.
The Coming of the Cosmic Christ: The Healing of Mother Earth and the Birth of a Global Renaissance.
Sins of the Spirit, Blessing of the Flesh: Transforming Evil in Soul & Society.
Trump & the MAGA Movement as Anti-Christ: Recognizing the Archetype of Evil in Our Time.
Adam Bucko and Matthew Fox, Occupy Spirituality: A Radical Vision For a New Generation.
Matthew Fox, Skylar Wilson and Jen Listug:Order of the Sacred Earth: An Intergenerational Vision of Love and Action.
5 thoughts on “Creation Spirituality, Original Blessing & Evil in the News This Week”
Laudato Si was and remains, by far, my largest (but still very faint) source of hope in the stained history of the Catholic Church. When I read it in 2015, I was sure to find a reference to Thomas Berry’s work, but one sentence [section 118] explains why such reference is absent: “A misguided anthropocentrism need not necessarily yield to ‘biocentrism,’ for that would entail adding yet another imbalance, failing to solve present problems and adding new ones.”
The word “anthropocentrism” is always negatively qualified in Laudato Si: it is either “tyrannical” [68], “distorted” [69], “modern” [115]; “excessive” [116], or “misguided” [118, 119, 122]. It never appears alone. Healthy anthropocentrism remains undefined although implied by the call to “care for our common home.” If, as I believe, healthy anthropocentrism is to humanity what healthy egocentrism is to individuals, loving one’s neighbor like oneself transposes to loving all other beings and entities on Earth while respecting humanity’s needs for survival and fulfillment without harming other tenants or destroying our common home. Globally, we are doing the exact opposite and I have not a trace of a doubt that the consequences will be dire.
When I hear the phrase “sacredness of creation” in reference to the Catholic Church, honestly my first reaction is that they don’t honor MY sacredness of creation as a gay man…so whatever. But then my second reaction is one of appreciation. The church is vast and powerful and surely this will have a positive impact on our situation. If they can’t honor my sacredness, at least they are taking a position on behalf of the earth. And that’s a good thing.
I’m more skeptical about the courts. Their rulings are capricious, and the trump crowd tends to just ignore them or they litigate forever. But any pushback and friction is good.
I do see lots of good news around the world related to climate change, alternative energy use, and increasing awareness. I am generally optimistic that we will survive this and turn things around, eventually, in spite of ourselves. It’s a special kind of stupid that denies these issues and wants to burn down our own house. And not to beat a dead horse, but I blame capitalism once again as the root cause of this utter stupidity. Make money no matter the cost.
Ironically, capitalism might also help save us. For example, I installed solar panels at my house in 2019. At the time I calculated it would take 7 years to break even. We’re there now, so our original investment has been paid back, and during most of the year the electric company pays us!
Is the message of Pope Francis and Leo, likewise, being preached from the pulpits?
That is an excellent question. I would like to know that too. One of my favourite quotes comes from John Scotus Eriugene 810-877 AD.
” Christ wears two shoes in the world: scripture and nature. Both are necessary to understand the Lord and at no stage can creation be seen as a separation of things from God.”
YES! YES! Most genuine spiritual teachings inform and inspire Us to be transformatively aware/conscious of our intimate spiritual relationships/Loving Diverse Oneness of Our Sacred connections to Our Living Loving Beautiful Sacred Mother Earth/Her living creatures/Graceful abundance, including All spiritual physical/non-physical dimensions/Beings, in Our Living Evolving Sacred Cosmos in the Sacred Co-Creative Process of the Eternal Present Moment…