The U.S. Catholic Church has unprecedented capacity to help avoid climate catastrophe. It also has a responsibility to address the climate emergency as an essential part of its mission. To realize this potential and fidelity, however, individual U.S. bishops must fulfill their duty to teach the fullness of faith that includes church teaching on climate change.
(Daniel R. DiLeo is an associate professor and director of the Justice and Peace Studies Program at Creighton University. Sabrina Danielsen is assistant professor of sociology at Creighton. Emily E. Burke is a doctoral student in the joint Sociology and Community & Environmental Sociology Program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. This essay is adapted from their article published in Environmental Research Letters with support from Creighton and the Louisville Institute. The views expressed in this commentary do not necessarily reflect those of Religion News Service.)