The Consortium Journal Helping Francis Re-Form the Church (June 23, 2017)

THE CONSORTIUM JOURNAL HELPING FRANCIS RE-FORM THE CHURCH (JUNE 23, 2017)

• In the liturgical calendar, there is a liturgical season called ORDINARY TIME which we enter on the Monday after Corpus Christi. It is called “Ordinary Time” in contrast to the other liturgical seasons, e.g., Easter, Advent, etc. and it lasts until the First Sunday of Advent near the end of this year, 2017. It is not called “ordinary” in any denigrating sense and its liturgies deserve all the praise and affirmations we give to other liturgical seasons. Unfortunately, the name sounds so much like a common name and seems to imply that its liturgies are “second-class.” Not so! We are called to bring the Fullest Faith and Greatest Gratitude we can to them. • One way to keep up our regard and honour and faith in regards to them is to keep Jesus Christ perceptibly before us as we celebrate these liturgies. A simple but powerful way to do this is to spend from time to time during Ordinary Time some meditative prayer time before the sculpture by Timothy P. Schmalz’s “Homeless Jesus” (the smaller size), a sculpture inspired by Matthew 25 showing a homeless, bare-footed Jesus reclining on a park bench. This is not only an awesome depiction of Jesus but it quickly impacts on you and forces you and me to think about all our brothers and sisters who are in need of Him just as we are. This is the most marginalized Christ in our society whose grace sees to it that we celebrate His Eucharists as best as we can. • A good photograph of the sculpture, accessed by the website below, and such other works, can be found in Selected Works by Timothy P. Schmalz and can give you the above experience. For more information or to get one of these small sculptures, see: Timothy P. Schmalz, P.O. Box 424, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada N2G 3Y9 or call 800-590-3264 or visit www.sculpturedbytps.com

TRUMPISM AND CATHOLICISM (Continued)

• We recall that “Trump claimed before taking office that climate change was a ‘hoax’ created by the Chinese to hurt the U.S. economy, an assertion that stands in defiance of broad scientific consensus” (Jill Colvin and Julie Pace, “Trump abandoning global climate pact?,” Waterloo Region Record, June 1, 2017). A few weeks later he admitted this was a joke! • “Trump said the United States would be willing to rejoin the accord if it could obtain more favourable terms but the leaders of France, Germany and Italy said in a joint statement of June 1, 2017 that the agreement could not be renegotiated, ‘since it is a vital instrument for our planet, societies, and economics.’” (Jill Colvin, “Leaders unite on climate pact,” Toronto Star, June 3, 2017). • Trump stated, “this agreement is less about the climate and more about other countries gaining a financial advantage over the United States.” Trump also claimed that other countries have laughed at the U.S. for agreeing to the terms.

• Mr. Trump abandoned the joint effort that the Paris accord was and also moved to reverse American federal policies aimed at cutting green-house gas emissions. In the U.S., the leadership for this now falls upon states like California as well as municipalities and businesses who see climate change as a fact of modern life. • When Trump jettisoned the Paris accord, he stated it would “hamstring” the American economy and “empower” some of the world’s worst polluters (especially China and India). “He slammed the creation of a Green Climate Fund, in which wealthier nations agreed to marshal $100-billion (U.S.) a year by 2020 in government and private funding to help developing countries reduce GHG [Green House Gases] emissions and cope with the impacts of climate change” (“From page 1 Withdrawal: ‘Canada is unwavering in our commitment to fight climate change,’ Trudeau says,” page A8, The Globe and Mail, June 2, 2017 – only the second part of the article). • Note how strong Trump is about the Paris accord, stating that it handicaps the U.S. economy and, therefore, he is against it. Note how anti-Christian this sentiment is: it states bluntly that human beings are meant basically to take care of themselves and there is no room in this view for charity to those who need help. THIS IS PURE SELFISHNESS and against the Gospel! • One thing we need to keep in mind in all this is the following. “News item: Renewable energy now outstrips any other form of new energy production globally, including coal, each year. We have turned the corner; the train has left the station; the horse is out of the barn. Whichever cliché you prefer, the fact remains: Donald Trump is so last decade.” (John Ibbitson, “Opinion Pull out of the accord, Trump. The world has moved on,” The Globe and Mail, June 2, 2017) So ironic, isn’t it! • “Framing his decision as a reassertion of ‘America’s [the United States’] sovereignty,’ he said, ‘I was elected to represent the citizens of Pittsburgh, not Paris. We are out’” (Jill Colvin and Julie Pace, “Trump pulls U.S. from Paris climate accord: move puts the States at odds with staunchest allies,” National Post, June 2, 2017) • “‘I was elected to represent the citizens of Pittsburgh not Paris,’ Trump declared, underscoring he was, in case anyone did not know, an ‘America First’ kind of guy” (James Pindell, “Ground Game/Inside Presidential Politics with The Boston Globe,” June 2, 2017). • “Donald Trump says that he does not represent Paris, and that is a good reason to renounce the Paris agreement. It should be noted, in light of what climate scientists are saying about sea-level rise, that he is also not representing New York or Miami.” (Michael Greason, letter-writer to the editor, The Globe and Mail [“Letters to the Editor”], June 3, 2017) • “Trump said he would begin negotiations to re-enter the agreement or establish ‘an entirely new transaction’ to get a better deal for the U.S. But he suggested re-entry was hardly a priority. ‘If we can, great, if we cannot, that’s fine,’ he said.” (Colvin and Pace) (National Post, June 2, 2017) Be sure to note his last point here! • What does seem very strange in this matter is that the American ambassador to the United Nations claims Trump does believe in climate change! “President Donald Trump, who has famously called climate change a ‘hoax,’ does believe the climate is changing and that humans have a role in it. United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley told CNN’s Jake Tapper. ‘President Trump believes the climate is changing and he

believes pollutants are part of the equation,’ Haley said in an interview on the State of the Union, aired June 4, 2017. ‘The rest of the world wanted to tell us how to do it, and we are saying we will do it, but we will do it under our terms.’ She said Trump pulled out of the pact ‘because it was to possible to meet the conditions’ under the pact agreed to under President Barack Obama.” (“Environment: Trump does believe in climate change, UN ambassador Says,” National Post, June 5, 2017)

• The Globe and Mail, in its editorial “Donald Trump Climate hot air” of June 2, 2017 takes an important point of view that can serve as a good context for Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris accord. Here below are the most important parts of this editorial. • “The announcement subtracting the United States from the Paris climate deal, made without irony in the White House Rose Garden during a celebration featuring a live jazz combo, is a shame for all, and a surprise for nobody … • “Mr. Trump railed that the Paris climate agreement is a bad deal, is ‘draconian’ and will cause business to grind to a halt. Oh, and it is also flawed because it is non- binding and ineffective. His rationale is, not to put too fine a point on this, idiotic. Commitments under the Paris agreement are entirely voluntary, and it is supported by a vast diaspora of interests, from environmental groups to the world’s largest oil company, ExxonMobil, which urged Mr. Trump to reconsider. Only three countries oppose it: Nicaragua – which feels it is too timid, Syria, and now the United States … • “The Paris pact is not without flaws, but taking the ostrich approach on climate change is destructively short-sighted. The moves it foreshadows, namely a gutting of U.S. environmental regulations, will have actual, dangerous consequences. At the same time, the international effort to address the mounting threat posed by man- made climate change is not contingent on Americans holding the reigns. While it would be desirable for the world’s largest economy to be at the forefront of international climate initiatives, at least now the fight can go on without constant U.S. foot-dragging. • “China, in particular, seems perfectly content to pick up the mantle of leadership, at least rhetorically. In the long run, it may even feel pressure to back up its words.” • “Mr. Trump’s announcement is essentially symbolic. That said the symbolism is terrible. It feels like one more signpost pointing to the end of the American century.” • Well said and to the point!

The Globe and Mail June 2, 2017

• Let us now proceed to some scientific considerations that are of great relevance regarding the American withdrawal from the Paris accord. • “Scientists say that the earth is likely to reach more dangerous levels of warming sooner if the U.S. retreats from its pledge because America contributes so much to rising temperatures. Calculations suggest withdrawal could result in emissions up to 3 billion tons of additional carbon dioxide in the air a year – enough to melt ice sheets faster, raise seas higher and trigger more extreme weather.” (Colvin and Pace) (National Post, June 2, 2017) • “A top atmospheric scientist at the UN’s weather agency said June 2, 2017, that the ‘worst-case scenario’ caused by the U.S. pullout from the Paris climate deal would be a further 0.3-degree Celsius rise in global temperatures by 2100” (Colvin). • “Quebec joined the California-based Western Climate initiative, a cap-and-trade carbon market, in 2014. Ontario is joining as well. British Columbia has its carbon tax. New York, which along with several other north-eastern states is part of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, has the lowest per-capita carbon emissions of any state in the union. Texas is a leader in wind energy; Arizona, in solar. Renewable resources contribute an ever-greater share of domestic energy production. There has been no increase in electricity consumption for a decade in the United States, and total consumption is expected to stay flat through 2050.” (Ibbitson) • What is really ironic in this is that a number of studies have just been released at this time which definitely show climate change is real and it is really affecting us quite negatively! Let us consider a few of these below. • One shows that climate change is keeping us awake at night: this study clearly shows the strong link between increases in temperature on our earth and the amount of restless sleep we experience. • “Scientists have observed poor rest in hot laboratory environments and sweltering houses. But as far as Nick Obradovich, a graduate student at the University of California at San Diego could tell, he told The Washington Post, no one had tracked a large number of sleepers in their homes across the United States. Obradovich decided to investigate.” (Ben Guarino, “Climate change is keeping us awake at night,” Toronto Star, June 3, 2017) • Using data drawn up by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the study meshed these responses with weather stations records to determine if respondents may have been exposed to unusual nighttime temperatures. “Equipped with this information, the researchers calculated that every nocturnal temperature increase of 1 degree Celsius produced an additional three nights of restless sleep per 100 people per month. Scaled across the United States, the authors wrote that this one- degree bump translated to about ‘110 million extra nights of insufficient sleep’ each year.” (Guarino) Physiologically speaking, this sleep loss makes sense because “decreasing body temperature is one of the strongest signals to our brain to bring on sleep onset” (Sara Mednick, sleep psychologist at the University of California at Riverside, one of the co-authors of the study); when the temperature is too high, the body cannot cool itself for sleep. • “Poor sleep has been shown to increase susceptibility to disease, infection and viruses by decreasing immune function, along with other findings that increased

sleep problems are associated with cancer, cardiovascular disease, obesity and diabetes” (Mednick). • This study “is an interesting and important study, which shows the relationship between warm temperatures and sleep quality” (Joris van Loenhout, environmental health expert at the Catholic University of Louvain). • “The authors of the new report created a possible forecast of sleep in 2050 and 2099. If current trends continue, increasing temperatures could add six additional restless nights per month per 100 people and 145 nights by 2099.” (Guarino)

• “Impacts of climate change are already apparent in the U.S. from rising sea levels in southern Alaska, Florida, and Louisiana, to California’s recently ended six-year drought, to Glacier National Park shrinking from roughly 150 glaciers in 1910 to less than 40 today” (Brian Roewe, NCR [National Catholic Reporter], “Paris climate deal exit ‘deeply troubling’ to Catholic leaders,” June 1, 2017, updated on June 2, 2017). • “The vast majority of climate scientists – 97 percent – affirm that the planet is warming largely due to human activity. Each of the last three years have held the title of the hottest year on record (dating back to 1880) and 16 of the 17 warmest years on record have occurred since 2001. Since the late 19th century, global temperatures have risen roughly 1 degree Centigrade (2 degrees Fahrenheit)” (ibid.) • For the life of me, I cannot figure out how anyone can seriously deny climate change when the evidence is all around us. Here below is another study, which just came out, and it has to do with rising temperatures endangering India. The study shows that increasing temperature causes higher probability of death for Indians. • “A temperature of less than one degree over half a century raised the probability of mass heat-related deaths in India by 2½ times, a new study has found, in the latest sign that even a slight rise can have a grave effect on health. The study, published on June 7, 2017, in the journal Science Advances, found that as the mean summer temperature and the annual number of heat-wave days increased in India from 1960 to 2009, there was a ‘substantial increase’ in related mortality rates.” (Mike Ives of The New York Times, “Rising heat endangers India,” Toronto Star, June 9, 2017) • “The climate change researchers also warned that future increases in global temperatures – which are projected to be far greater than those analyzed in the study – could take a ‘relatively drastic human toll’ in India and many other low- latitude countries in the developing world. The study ‘provides evidence of not only warming in India, with some parts warming more than others, but also as warming progresses heat waves become more frequent and more intense,’ said David Mark Taylor, a professor of tropical environmental change at the National University of Singapore … With the problem expected to worsen, he added, the challenge is ‘finding a comprehensive solution rather than a temporary fix that benefits some at the expense of the majority.’” (ibid.) We all know what Pope Francis would say to this!

(One of our sisters trying to survive the “hell” her country has become.)

• “Parts of Asia have experienced record-breaking heat waves in recent years, with temperatures well above 40C. In 2015, more than 2400 people, mostly labourers and farm hands, died from heat-related illness in India, according to the country’s National Disaster Management authority.” (ibid.) • “NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported in January [2017] that the Earth’s average surface temperature has risen by about 1.1C since the late 19th century, largely because of human-caused atmospheric emissions of carbon dioxide. Climate scientists predict that, without preventative action to curb emissions, global mean temperatures could rise by several degrees Celsius by the end of this century [21st] and warn that a rise of more than two degrees could tip the earth into a future of irreversible rising seas and melting ice sheets.” (ibid.) • “The goal of the 2015 Paris climate accord was to prevent the worst effects of climate change by limiting the global temperature increase to 2C. Nearly every country pledged to reduce their emissions. But U.S. President Donald Trump announced that the United States would withdraw from the accord, saying that it imposed unfair environmental standards on U.S. business and workers. (Environmental groups disputed the economic study that he had cited to prove his point.) (ibid.) …

• “The study’s authors used scientific modelling to show that with a 0.5C rise in temperature, the probability of a heat wave with more than 100 deaths in India increased to 32 per cent from 13 per cent. (ibid.) • “The researchers found that, compared with the period from 1960 to 1984, southern and western India experienced 50 per cent more heat waves from 1985 to 2009. (ibid.)… • “Some experts expect India’s temperature to rise by 2.2 to 5.5C by the end of this century, the study said. Taylor said that individual responses to heat waves tended to illustrate a problem of environmental justice. Richer populations in Asia can afford to invest in air conditioning and other mitigating measures, he said, ‘but using air conditioning adds to warming, making it worse for those who cannot afford such luxuries.’ (ibid.) [A big Social Justice problem here!] • The evidence for climate change just keeps coming and coming. As I was working on this material (June 20, 2017), another study was reported by the Toronto Star (Seth Borenstein of The Associated Press, “Deadly heat waves will grow more frequent, study reveals, “June 20, 2017). • “Killer heat is getting worse, a new study shows. Deadly heat waves like the one now broiling the American West are bigger killers than previously thought and they are going to grow more frequent, according to a new comprehensive study of fatal heat conditions. Still, those stretches may be less lethal in the future, as people become accustomed to them.” (ibid.) • “They found that nearly one in three people now experience 20 days a year when the heat reaches deadly levels. But the study predicts that up to three in four people worldwide will endure that kind of heat by the end of the 21st century, if climate change continues unabated.” (ibid.) • “The United States is going to be an oven,” said Camile Mora of the University of Hawaii, lead author of the study published June 19, 2017 in the journal Nature Climate Change. • “The study comes as much of the U.S. swelters through extended heat. Temperatures hit records of 41C, 40.5C and 39C in Santa Rosa, Livermore and San Jose, California, on June 18, 2017, as a heat-wave was forecast to continue through mid-week. In late May 2017, temperatures in Turbot, Pakistan, climbed to about 53.5C; if confirmed, that could be among the five hottest temperatures reliably measured on Earth, said Jeff Masters, meteorology director of Weather Underground. Last year 22 countries or territories set or tied records for their hottest temperatures on record, said Masters … So far this year, seven have done so.” (ibid.) • “This is already bad. We already know it. The empirical data suggests it is getting much worse.” (Mora) “A hotter world does not necessarily mean more deaths in all locales, Mora said. That is because he found over time the same blistering conditions – heat and humidity – killed fewer people than in the past, mostly because of air conditioning and governments doing a better job keeping people from dying in the heat.” (ibid.) But what about poor people who cannot afford air conditioning??

• “Under former president Barack Obama, the U.S. had agreed under the Paris accord to reduce polluting emissions by about 1.6 billion tons by 2025” (Colvin and Pace). • Nothing in these materials/reflections indicates fighting climate change is easy or going to be easy but it is a fight we need to undertake if there is going to be a livable planet/Earth for our children and their grandchildren. Simply put, it is hard work for all of us! The following letter to the editor of the National Post (May 25, 2017) demonstrates some of the huge challenges we face regarding climate change. • “Fossil fuels won’t die soon Re: End fossil fuel protection, Letters, May 23 Letter writer Lynn Ovenden is delusional if she thinks that the fossil fuel industry is going to be wound down, in an orderly manner or otherwise, any time in the next 100 years. According to the BP Statistical Review of World Energy, coal and oil each provide about a third of the world’s primary energy supply, natural gas a little less than a third, with nuclear and hydroelectricity making up the balance. Renewable energy barely figures in this at all, providing less than one percent of the world’s energy supply. Since an investment of about $3 trillion was required to provide this magnificent contribution, it is evident that wind and solar energy are merely very expensive, heavily subsidized niche players. The world’s energy requirements are going to increase at a steady pace as more and more people around the globe are lifted out of poverty. Wind and solar are low- density energy sources that cannot possibly provide the required amount of energy. The most abundant sources of energy are coal, oil, and natural gas, and we can therefore expect an increase in the use of all of these in the coming decades. China and India in particular have massive appetites for energy, and to deny Canada the opportunity to supply this market is sheer folly.” (Roger Graves, North Gower, Ontario)

• The above letter makes it clear that controlling climate change is and will not be an easy task for us. Its challenges are huge and we cannot take a luddite approach to it. But we cannot let these challenges and difficulties make us laissez-faire about the question. If we put our heads collectively together and dialogue and pray and apply Laudato Siˊ, it can and will be done. No room for discouragement here because it is God’s will that we do come to control climate change. And there are indications that those of us who want clean energy have on our side, e.g., there are forecasts today that within a decade, solar energy will be the cheapest option everywhere. Please pray for this intention. Thank you!

• As Trump withdraws the United States from the Paris accord, he is taking no consideration that the United States is a great polluter on our planet. The United States today is “the world’s second-largest present day polluter, and the largest historical emitter of greenhouse gases” (Roewe). Next to China (at 30%), the United States contributes 19% of global emissions and thus adds a good chunk to the 140 billion of tonnes of carbon dioxide humanity puts into the atmosphere yearly! • “U.S. President Donald Trump said the United States ‘will continue to be the cleanest and most environmentally friendly country on Earth’ as he announced a

U.S. pullout from an international accord designed to curb climate change”(Seth Borenstein of The Associate Press, “Trump says U.S. is cleanest nation; facts say not even close,” Toronto Star, June 4, 2017). Unfortunately, in terms of accuracy, Trump is way off the mark here! • “Data show that the U.S. is among the dirtiest countries when it comes to heat- trapping carbon pollution. One nation that has cleaner air in nearly every way is Sweden. ‘The U.S. is well behind other countries in having the cleanest and most sustainable environment,’ University of Michigan environmental scientist Rosina Bierbaum said. The U.S. emits more carbon dioxide than any other nation except China.” (Borenstein) • “‘On pretty much any climate-related indicator, the U.S. will not look good,’ said Glen Peters, a Norwegian climate scientist who is part of the Global Carbon Project that ranks worldwide emissions. The U.S. is Number 2 in per person carbon dioxide pollution, behind Luxembourg, among 35 developed nations plus China, India and Brazil, Energy Department data show. That is 17.3 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year for the average American, compared with 4.5 tonnes for the average Swede.” (Borenstein) … • “Taking into account economics, the U.S. ranks 10th highest in carbon polluting per gross domestic product behind China, India, Russia, Estonia, Poland, South Korea, the Czech Republic, Mexico and Turkey, according to the International Energy Agency” (Borenstein)… • “Since 1870, the U.S. has produced about one-quarter of the world’s carbon dioxide – twice as much as China – and that makes it the biggest polluter in the world by far, Peters said. In some traditional air pollution measurements, the United States is cleaner than most nations, said William Reilly, who headed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under Republican president George H. W. Bush. But ‘when the problem he is dealing with is carbon dioxide, we are notably not better than the rest of the world,’ Reilly said, adding that Trump is ‘just wrong.’” (Bornstein) • The facts indicate that Trump did the wrong thing in pulling out of the Paris accord. There is another negative element here he gave no attention to, which is not good for the U.S. “You are right to say that the U.S. withdrawal from the Paris climate accord ‘will make it more difficult for the United States to become a leader in the burgeoning field of clean energy’” (Doug Pritchard, letter-writer to the Toronto Star, June 4, 2017).

• What has been the reaction to President Trump’s pulling the U.S. out of the Paris accord? There has been a huge reaction here. Let us analyze it for a moment. And note that it comes from many directions and origins. • “The [American] Sierra Club’s executive director, Michael Brune, called the expected move a ‘historic mistake which our grandchildren will look back on with stunned dismay at how a world leader could be so divorced from reality and morality.’” (Colvin and Pace, Waterloo Region Record, June 1, 2017). • “Environmental campaigners protested June 1, 2017, against U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to pull the United States out of the Paris climate accord, while nations around the world pledged to double down on their efforts to curb global warming in response to the U.S. move” (Colvin). A protest formed outside the White

House before Trump arrived at the podium. Dan Misleh of the Catholic Climate Covenant was present in his leadership role. • “In Berlin, Greenpeace activists projected Trump’s silhouette onto the side of the U.S. embassy along with the words ‘#TotalLoser, so sad’” (Colvin). • “A letter from the member organizations of Catholic Climate Covenant said they were ‘deeply disappointed’ by the president’s decision to withdraw from the Paris Agreement and to end payments to the Green Climate Fund [see below], adding, ‘we implore President Trump to reconsider this path,’ ‘Catholic teaching insists that climate change is a grave moral issue that threatens our commitments: to protect human life, health, dignity, and security; to exercise a preferential option for the poor; to promote the common good of which the climate is a part; to live in solidarity with future generations; to realize peace; and to care for God’s good gift of creation,’ the letter said.” (Roewe) • “Bishop Oscar Cantú, chair of the U.S. bishops’ conference Committee on International Justice and Peace, called the decision not to honor U.S. commitment to the Parties Agreement ‘deeply troubling.’ The Las Cruces, New Mexico, bishop said the climate accord promotes values in Scripture of caring for creation and for others in solidarity. ‘President Trump’s decision will harm the people of the United States and the world, especially the poorest, most vulnerable communities,’ said Cantú, adding, ‘I can only hope that the president will propose concrete ways to address global climate change and promote environmental stewardship.’ … In prior letters to Trump administration officials, Cantú emphasized the disproportionate effect droughts, floods and famines have on the poor and vulnerable, writing at one point, ‘Climate change is one more good reason for Christians to live up to what we should be doing in the first place.’” (Roewe) • “Patrick Carolan, executive director of Franciscan Action Network, stated, ‘when large countries like the U.S. deny the reality of the climate crisis and pull out of commitments holding us accountable for doing our part to curb global temperature rise, we are turning our backs on the poor and vulnerable, which goes directly against our Franciscan-Christian values’” (Roewe). • “‘I do not know what Trump spoke about with the pope,’ Bishop Marcelo Sanchez Sorondo, head of the Vatican Pontifical Academy of Science said to the press. ‘I do not believe, however, that the conversation was very detailed on climate. I know, however, that the President of the United States spoke about this in the conversation he had with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s secretary of state.’ In light of that, he continued, Trump’s withdrawal would be ‘a slap in the face also for us.’” (George Neumayr of The Spectacle Blog, “Pope Francis Aide Trashes Trump,” June 2, 2017. “Such a move, he continued, ‘would not only be a disaster but completely unscientific. Saying that we need to rely on coal and oil is like saying that the earth is not round. It is an absurdity dictated by the need to make money.’” (Roewe) • “CIDSE, a network of 17 international Catholic development agencies, said that by removing itself from the Paris accord, ‘The United States has shirked its moral responsibility to be leader in fighting climate change. It added that the decision is particularly harsh from the view of the global south, where people ‘are striving to limit their own carbon emissions and are experiencing the worst impacts of climate change; these communities are witnessing destruction of their land, environment,

and traditional practices in support of a global economy with limited benefits for them.’ CIDSE urged for the remaining 194 nations [of the Paris Accord] to redouble efforts and for the EU [European Union], China and Canada to take on more prominent leadership roles.” (Roewe) • “Tomas Insua, executive director of Global Catholic Climate Movement, said in a statement that despite Trump’s decision, which he called ‘a backward and immoral action,’ the rest of the world will continue to accelerate in acting on climate change. He added the U.S. withdrawal only strengthens the network’s resolve to mobilize all Catholics behind climate action, quoting a passage from Laudato Siˊ: ‘While the existing world order proves powerless to assume its responsibilities, local individuals and groups can make a real difference.’” (Roewe)

• How did the Europeans react to Trump’s withdrawal of the U.S. from the Paris accord? • “The European Commission president on May 31, 2017, said that it was the ‘duty of Europe’ to stand up to the United States if President Donald Trump decides to pull his country out of the Paris climate change accord. Jean-Claude Juncker said that ‘the Americans cannot just get out of the agreement,’ adding that ‘it takes three to four years’ to pull out. Juncker went onto say that the Group of Seven leaders ‘tried to explain this in clear simple sentences to Mr. Trump’ at the recent summit in Italy. He said that even though ‘it looks like that attempt failed’ … the ‘law is the law.’ … Juncker said: ‘if the U.S. president pulls out of the Paris agreement, and he will in the next days or hours, then it is Europe’s duty to say that that is not how it works.’” (Lorne Cook, “Europe ready to take on Trump,” Waterloo Region Record, June 1, 2017) • “‘The EU and China are joining forces to forge ahead on the implementation of the Paris Agreement and accelerate the global transition to clean energy,’ EU climate commissioner Miguel Arias Canete said about the upcoming UE-China summit, stressing they remain committed to Paris … ‘Climate change is not a fairy tale. It is a tough reality which affects peoples’ daily lives,’ European Parliament President Antonio Tajani said in a statement.” (Cook) • Angela Merkel of Germany said Trump’s decision is extremely regrettable and that is putting it mildly. “This decision cannot and won’t stop all those of us who feel obliged to protect the planet,” she said. • “In Brussels, European Council President Donald Tusk, standing alongside Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, said that the EU and China ‘are convinced that the decision by the United States to leave the Paris agreement is a big mistake’” (Colvin). “French President Emmanuel Macron, who made a televised address in French and English, said Mr. Trump had ‘committed an error for the interests of his country, his people and a mistake for the future of our planet’” (“Withdrawal: ‘Canada is unwavering in our commitment to fight climate change,’ Trudeau says”). • “Despite the president’s economic concerns, hundreds of American companies supported U.S. participation in the Paris deal, viewing a stable system as good for business and also seeing economic opportunities in a global shift toward a clean energy economy” (Roewe).

• “Germany’s environment minister, Barbara Hendricks, told reporters in Berlin that other countries will fill the leadership vacuum, but none will be expected to make up the shortfall in emissions reductions by Washington’s exit. Hendricks said the absence of the $500-million (U.S.) contributions from the United States to the Green Climate Fund will be felt from 2018, but suggested the gap could be filled with ‘other financing mechanisms, for example, through the World Bank.’ The Green Fund is designed to help poor countries adapt to climate change and bypass some of the heavily polluting technologies formerly used by rich countries. Poor countries are predicted to be among the hardest hit by global warming, with some foreseeing tens of millions of ‘climate refugees’ in coming decades.” (Colvin) Note this Social Justice element built into the Paris accord. • “Trump [along with American withdrawal from the Paris accord] also announced that he would cease U.S. payments to the Green Climate Fund. The international fund which by 2020 would raise $100 billion annually from industrialized nations to fund projects to fight climate change in developing countries, particularly those hit hardest by global warming, has been an important cause for the U.S. Conference of Catholic bishops and other Catholic groups in recent years.” (Roewe)

• Even Ontario’s premier, Kathleen Wynne, has gotten involved in the reactions to the American withdrawal from the Paris accord. “It is a very important issue that affects the whole world and it is really appalling to me that the president of the United States would abdicate his responsibility in the face of the greatest threat confronting humanity. The reality is the whole world needs to be involved in fighting climate change.” (Wynne) “ ‘The Province of Ontario, which will soon be partnering with California and Quebec in a cap-and-trade system to limit greenhouse gas emissions, will continue its push to make gains for the climate,’ Wynne added” (Rob Ferguson and Kristin Rushowy, “Trump move on Parish climate accord ‘appalling’ but work will go on, Wynne says,” Toronto Star, June 3, 2017).

TO BE CONTINUED

A VISUAL PRAYER

To the right is a very beautiful and tender photograph that can be used for meditative prayer regarding our close relationship with our all-loving God (God our Parent/God our Father-Mother). Try it and let God fill you with His/Her great love for you! Thank you.

TAKING CARE OF YOURSELF FOR GOD’S SAKE • We belong to God and so we are God’s property; this means we have an obligation take care of ourselves and our well-being. And God desires that we do so because God loves us so much. We are also ministers whether formally (chosen to follow a certain path of ministry by God) or because of our Baptism; now how can we take care of others if we do not take care of ourselves? That is good human and spiritual wisdom! Here we will consider some ways of doing this for God’s sake.

• Summer is also a time when there is less pressure on us to do our work and meet our duties and so this is a good time to try to undertake some changes for the sake of our health. • Make sure you drink enough water every day. There is no magic number of glasses to be taken here but watch your body to see if it is thirsty. The Mayo Clinic recently provided the results of a study that shows drinking a glass of water before going to bed is a good idea: without getting into all the details as to how this works, this practice reduces the possibility of heart attacks we may have during the night. Also we Canadians use much too many plastic bottles for water (as do other countries too); so in the spirit of Laudato Siˊ, use a water container that you and I can use over and over again. Thank you! • Exercise keeps our brain healthy. Some exercise is better than none but please make a real effort here for the sake of your brain. • Keep up your dental hygiene. We are magnificently put together connections with connections, interconnections with interconnections, rather than a mass of elements just thrown together. There is a connection between mouth health and heart health; keeping your mouth clean is good for our heart. • Laugh a lot. Develop a sense of humour. It is absolutely needed! Laughter beneficially affects us physically, psychologically, socially, and even spiritually. It is very healthy as a stress reliever and a decreaser of worry and anxiety. Did you know that about 5 minutes of a real belly laugh can do as much for your health-wise as 5 minutes of the exercise of rowing a boat? It also promotes optimism (healthy) and deters pessimism/cynicism (unhealthy). No wonder major hospitals use laughter therapy! • Start taking probiotics for a healthy “gut.” Today we know that a healthy “gut” promotes brain health – another connection/interconnection. • Learn how to do absolutely nothing and do this from time to time. • Here is a tip if you suffer from insomnia. “1-Minute Meditation for Insomnia Lie down on your back and place one hand on the back of your head, just along the ridge of your skull. Place your other hand flat across your forehead and relax. Hold your head until you feel your pulse sync up between both hands. You are sending a signal to your nervous system to bring blood to your brain so you can relax and go to sleep.” (Lara Ann Riggio, founder of the Lara Touch

Method of stress relief – thelaratouch.com) (Prevention Magazine, “Pulse,” May, 2017) • “If you have had chickenpox, you are at risk for shingles. Did you know? Over 90% of us have had chickenpox – and that means we are at risk for shingles. 1 out of every 3 people will develop shingles during their lifetime. Your risk for shingles increases as you get older.” (Shoppers Drug Mart Information) Get all the facts about this so that you can get the required vaccination by seeing your pharmacist or doctor. • Pray a lot. Prayer has been shown by psychology to be a relaxing focusing healthy activity. • As always, let your doctor know about taking any new pills as a result of these suggestions. Thank you. • And please remember that psychologically, it takes 4 – 6 weeks of ongoing effort to develop new habits.

God always bless you and keep you close to Him/Her. Amen.

Father Fred Scinto, C.R., Resurrection Ministries, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. ([email protected]) (519-885-4370)