Critique of the news report on the ITC Document Caring for Our Common Home

Introduction

This critique analyses an article by Italian journalist Isabella Piro, who reported on a recent document produced by the International Theological Commission (ITC) entitled “Caring for Our Common Home: A Responsible and Fraternal Response to the Triune God.” While the original Italian text is 29,000 words long, the document evaluated here is based on its official summary.

The ITC’s document delivers a crucial message concerning a Trinitarian vision of cosmic creation. It highlights the Trinitarian imprint left upon the cosmos and explores the resulting responsibilities, particularly regarding humanity’s response. Building on the reflections and challenges of the late Pope Francis’s landmark encyclical Laudato Si’, the document identifies the harm inflicted on God’s creation and restates the urgent need for an “ecological conversion.” A key theological breakthrough is that it explicitly names environmental destruction as sinful. By proposing the rigorous phrase “sin against creation and the Creator,” the ITC significantly deepens the concept of “ecological sin”—a development that is very welcome.

However, for some, the document’s promotion of the “Stewardship” model as the primary pathway to action will not go far enough. By advocating for a “situated anthropocentrism,” the text arguably places humans above or in control of the natural world, managing nature from an instrumentalist mindset.

The Theological and Ecological Context

The document situates its discourse within three structural realities:

The loss of the cosmos within theological discourse over the last few centuries.
The emergence of the human that dominates creation in a predatory fashion.
The pressing climate emergency of our contemporary era.

This document matters because it defends the moral integrity of theology, encouraging us to ‘widen the space of our tent’ and continuously hear the cry of both the earth and the poor. The call for ecological conversion is grounded in Sabbath principles that uplift vulnerable voices, bringing to light the fact that structures of social domination are chief among the ways the earth is abused. In doing so, the text underscores the vital importance of integral ecology.

Ultimately, the document outlines a series of guidelines and foundational principles aimed at fostering ecological conversion and caring for our common home.

A Connected Cosmos Created by the Triune God

A key task of theology is to interpret the whole of reality in the light of faith—examining our relationships with God, creation, and one another. Here, a sacramental view of the universe is presented, grounding human accountability for the fate of the earth.

The dialogue between science and religion regarding cosmic origins is a vital interface where each realm informs the other. For Christians, both science and faith originate from the hands of the Triune God. While science can take us back to the cosmic beginnings to explain what happened, faith helps us make the leap to understanding why.

The Sabbath Principle

The ITC document asserts that human beings are created in the Imago Dei (Image of God) within our common home. It criticises hierarchical gradations, noting that patriarchal mindsets depart from God’s original design, as all of creation is loved by God. Ensuring Sabbath rest for the whole community of life can bring cosmic healing, just as practising gratitude restores the relationship between God, humanity and the earth.

Jubilee Logic and Ecological Spirituality

The text invokes a “Jubilee logic” to enhance community and promote social justice through solidarity. Striking a balance within ecological spirituality between work and prayer provides a necessary antidote to the modern myth of production and consumption—the false idea that we can consume our way to happiness. Furthermore, interreligious cooperation is strongly encouraged, as we face a collective ecological challenge that no previous generation has ever contemplated.

Critical Reservations

While stressing the sacredness of human life is paramount, the sacredness of all living beings must also be acknowledged. All species share the same complex evolutionary journey and are called into being by a gracious Creator God who loves all of creation indiscriminately.

Furthermore, even when accounting for translation nuances between technical theology and journalistic reporting, the use of non-inclusive terminology is disappointing—particularly in the document’s title. Lingering patriarchal structures persist within the text’s theological anthropology through terms such as fraternal, Lord, and fraternity. We must continue to systematically reimagine the uniqueness of being human within the context of our profound kinship with the rest of nature.

Summary and Future Horizons

“Caring for Our Common Home: A Responsible and Fraternal Response to the Triune God” is a landmark document that successfully builds upon Laudato Si’. It will undoubtedly be well-received by many, the Laudato Si’ Movement and various institutions. Admittedly, this response is limited to a press release, meaning the 29,000-word original text will possess far greater complexity and detail. Nevertheless, the summary successfully elevates integral ecology within this theological discourse, accepts contemporary scientific consensus that everything is connected, and rightly rejects ecological destruction as a sin against the Creator’s plan.

Notwithstanding these strengths, the document prompts me to raise several profound questions, akin to those raised by Elizabeth Johnson and other significant theologians (Edwards, Haught, McDonagh, McFague…). These questions need further and immediate exploration and response:

Contemporary science reveals a natural world that is surprisingly dynamic, organic, self-organizing, indeterminate, and open to mystery. As Johnson asks: What does this reveal about the mystery of God, the Creator of this magnificence, who continues to work creatively within its open and unpredictable systems?
How should we conceive of the Church, its mission, and its structures within an evolving universe?
How can we develop a theological anthropology that reimagines the uniqueness of the human person while honouring our profound kinship with the rest of the natural world?

The exploration and response to such questions would ensure positive future horizons for God’s creation–the whole community of life.

by Sr Colette Kane, OP – Dominican Sisters Cabra