Closing the Climate Gap in the Catholic Church
According to a Pew Research poll, 61 percent of Hispanic Catholics agree that climate change is human-caused and should be addressed, while only 40 percent of white Catholics share a similar sentiment.
Why is this?
While Pope Francis' leadership has been critical in turning the tide, only 15 percent of Catholics report that their local parish offers creation care educational events. Instead of viewing this as a deficiency, approach it as an opportunity.
You can start by organizing a creation care committee at your local parish with these guides from Blessed Tomorrow. In them you will find organizational tools and templates to get you started on a path to positive change!
Let's close the gap in the Catholic Church!
White, Hispanic Catholics Disagree on Issue of Climate Change
By: Joanna Piacenza for Public Religion Research Institute
Pope Francis is adding one more societal issue to his papal agenda: climate change. The Vatican will host a summit on climate change and sustainability efforts on Tuesday, April 28. Pope Francis is slated to address the U.N. General Assembly during his trip to the U.S. in September 2015. And the pope is also expected to release a lengthy edict on the environment, which will urge Catholics worldwide to take action on climate change. Many have speculated that the summit, UN address, and edict will all argue for the moral imperative of protecting the earth.
In the U.S., the pope may have his work cut out for him. PRRI’s climate change report finds that Catholics aren’t any more worried about climate change than Americans in general. But as he urges adherents to care for the planet, Pope Francis should focus his attention on one group of Catholics in particular: white Catholics, who report less concern with and exposure to the issue of climate change than their Hispanic counterparts.
Catholics hold the same opinion about the existence and cause of climate change as all Americans overall—49 percent of Catholics and 46 percent of Americans say the earth’s temperature is warming and it is primarily the result of human activity—but white Catholics are less likely than Hispanic Catholics to believe in human-caused climate change—40 percent vs. 61 percent, respectively. White Catholics are also less likely than Hispanic Catholics to say that scientists agree that global warming is a result of human activity—39 percent vs. 61 percent, respectively.
Catholics and Americans are also in agreement on the severity of climate change, but white Catholics are 20-percentage points less likely than Hispanic Catholics to say that climate change is a crisis or a major problem—53 percent vs. 73 percent, respectively. Hispanic Catholics are also more likely to specifically call climate change a “crisis”—28 percent vs. 16 percent.