Prudence, poverty and the common good: How the Catholic community approaches environmental justice

Since Pope John Paul II's landmark 1990 World Day of Peace Message on the environment, the U.S. Catholic Church has sought to more formally educate and organize the faithful on environmental justice.  Through its networks of organizations such as U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Catholic Relief Services, religious communities and, more recently, the Catholic Climate Covenant, the Catholic Church has taken great strides in recapturing ancient teachings and traditions about the moral imperative to care for the environment.  This talk reviews these developments and previews key themes anticipated in the recently announced letter on the environment by Pope Francis.