upon abird’s nest in any tree or on the ground, with youngones or eggs and themother sittingupon the
young or upon the eggs; you shall not take themotherwith the young” (
Dt
22:4, 6). Along these same
lines, rest on the seventh day is meant not only for human beings, but also so “that your ox and your
donkeymay have rest” (
Ex
23:12). Clearly, the Bible has no place for a tyrannical anthropocentrism
unconcerned for other creatures.
69.
Together with our obligation to use the earth’s goods responsibly, we are called to recognize
that other living beings have a value of their own in God’s eyes: “by their mere existence they bless
him and give him glory”,
41
and indeed, “the Lord rejoices in all his works” (
Ps
104:31). By virtue of
our unique dignity and our gift of intelligence, we are called to respect creation and its inherent laws,
for “theLord bywisdom founded the earth” (
Prov
3:19). In our time, theChurch does not simply state
that other creatures are completely subordinated to the good of human beings, as if they have noworth
in themselves and can be treated as we wish. The German bishops have taught that, where other
creatures are concerned, “we can speak of the priority of
being
over that of
being useful
”.
42
The
Catechism clearly and forcefully criticizes a distorted anthropocentrism: “Each creature possesses its
own particular goodness and perfection… Each of the various creatures, willed in its own being,
reflects in its own way a ray ofGod’s infinite wisdom and goodness. Manmust therefore respect the
particular goodness of everycreature, to avoid anydisordereduseof things”.
43
70.
In the story of Cain and Abel, we see how envy led Cain to commit the ultimate injustice
against his brother, which in turn ruptured the relationship between Cain and God, and between Cain
and the earth fromwhich he was banished. This is seen clearly in the dramatic exchange betweenGod
and Cain. God asks: “Where is Abel your brother?” Cain answers that he does not know, and God
persists: “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from the ground.
And now you are cursed from the ground” (
Gen
4:9-11). Disregard for the duty to cultivate and
maintain a proper relationship with my neighbour, for whose care and custody I am responsible, ruins
my relationship with my own self, with others, with God and with the earth. When all these
relationships are neglected, when justice no longer dwells in the land, theBible tells us that life itself is
41
Catechism of theCatholicChurch
, 2416.
42
GERMAN BISHOPS’ CONFERENCE,
Zukunft der Schöpfung – Zukunft der Menschheit. Einklärung der Deutschen
Bischofskonferenz zuFragen derUmwelt undderEnergieversorgung
, (1980), II, 2.
43
Catechism of theCatholicChurch
, 339.
