MAN HAS MORAL DUTY TO PRESERVE WHAT GOD CREATED

VATICAN CITY, JUN 12, 1999 (VIS) - Following Mass in Sandomierz and lunch with the bishops of this province and the members of his entourage, Pope John Paul travelled in the afternoon by helicopter to Zamosc in southeast Poland. There he went to Cardinal Wyszynski Square where he presided at a Liturgy of the Word, focussing his homily on man's moral duty to preserve the environment and all of God's creation.

"During the days of creation," said the Pope, "God looked at His handiwork and saw that what He made was good. It could not be otherwise. The harmony of nature reflected the perfection of the Creator. Finally, God created man. He created him in His own image and likeness. He entrusted to him the magnificence of the world so that, by enjoying and using its goods in a free and rational way, he would cooperate actively in bringing God's work to perfection."

When man sinned, proceeded John Paul II, "sin not only broke the bond of love between man and God, ... it also disturbed the harmony of all creation." If, however, the world shared in the effects of sin, it also shared "in the divine promise of the Redemption" when the Son of God came "to embrace creation anew, ... to restore to creation its original holiness and dignity."

"As I make my way across Poland," remarked the Holy Father, "I contemplate the beauty of this, my native country and I am reminded of this particular aspect of the saving mission of the Son of God. Here, the blue of the sky, the green of the woods and fields, the silver of the lakes and rivers, all seem to speak with exceptional power. Here the song of the birds sounds so very familiar, so Polish. All of this testifies to the love of the Creator."

The Pope then pointed out that everyone has the moral duty to preserve the environment and all of God's creation. He said that "we know that it is not just a matter of what is nowadays called ecology. It is not just enough to seek the cause of the world's destruction only in excessive industrialization, uncritical applications in industry and agriculture of scientific and technological advances, or in unbridled pursuit of wealth without concern for the future effects of all these actions. Although it cannot be denied that these actions do case great harm, it is easy to see that their source is deeper: It lies in man's very attitude. It appears that what is most dangerous for creation and for man is lack of respect for the laws of nature and the disappearance of a sense of the value of life."

"Is it really possible," Pope John Paul asked, "to oppose the destruction of the environment while allowing, in the name of comfort and convenience, the slaughter of the unborn and the procured death of the elderly and infirm, and the carrying out, in the name of progress, of unacceptable interventions and forms of experimentation at the very beginning of human life? When the good of science or economic interests prevail over the good of the person, and ultimately of whole societies, environmental destruction is a sign of a real contempt for man."

"All followers of Christ," he concluded, "ought to examine their own life-style, to ensure that the legitimate pursuit of prosperity does not suppress the voice of conscience which judges what is right and what is truly good."

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