From One Latino Faith Leader to Another: Climate Change Has A ‘Spiritual Dimension’

By path2positive

Blessed Tomorrow leader and President of National Latino Evangelical Coalition, Rev. Gabriel Salguero, was deeply moved by Pope Francis' visit to the U.S. In an open letter to the leader of the Catholic Church, Salguero expressed why his Evangelical Christian faith and Latino heritage align so greatly with Pope Francis' emphasis on environmental justice. Hard on the heels of the National Association of Evangelicals call to climate action, Salguero detailed his shared concern for the environment and how climate change impacts the world's most vulnerable. 

For the Evangelical leader, and for many of us, climate change is personal. Salguero's wife and son both suffer from climate-related asthma, and the ruins of Hurricane Sandy are a daily reminder of why faith leaders must act for the climate today. Salguero's article, A Climate Change Letter from a Latino Evangelical to a Latino Pope, concisely articulates the compelling compulsion of faith leaders to move on climate action. Salguero contends, "Climate change is not simply an environmental issue, but a human one with a spiritual dimension."


 

A Climate Change Letter from a Latino Evangelical to a Latino Pope

Rev. Gabriel Salguero | Huffington Post

Dear Pope Francis,

¡Gracias por visitar a Nueva York! I eagerly anticipated your visit, not only because of your significant religious and global influence, but also because of our shared passion for environmental stewardship and justice. I especially was thankful for your courageous commentary on climate change and immigration.

In spite of our different denominations and theological differences, we do share some common ground. As Hispanic religious leaders (albeit on very different scales), we exist in a space that spans the spiritual and the material, religion and politics, the Global North and the Global South. We are therefore uniquely situated to bear witness to the threat that climate change poses, and the harm it has already caused.

I know you have traveled throughout developing countries and seen farmers turned to slum dwellers by years of drought, urbanites turned to refugees by sudden hurricanes or tsunamis. As a world leader, you are witness to people suffering on the margins of power while many in power remain on the sidelines as this issue stays mired in politics and abstractions. You live steeped in the rich history of the Catholic moral thought and are therefore keenly attuned to the shortfalls and opportunities of the present.

Read More

 
 

Subscribe

Stay connected and get updates from Blessed Tomorrow.

Subscribe

You May Also Like

October 2, 2023

In a historic moment, today 31 US denominations and faith organizations have joined together to launch One Home One Future, a multi-faith campaign to strengthen...

Read More

September 13, 2023

  Gloria D. Lozada De Jesús y Neddy Astudillo, Red Presbiteriana para el Cuidado de la Creación El clima está en transición y a veces...

Read More

August 21, 2023

  Black churches have long been a place of inspiration and refuge and many folks have traditionally relied on these religious communities to stay alive...

Read More
logo-transparent

 

Blessed Tomorrow is a program of ecoAmerica

 

© ecoAmerica 2006 – 2022 The contents of this website may be shared and used under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives 4.0 International License.