Common concerns

To mark Harvest Festival on 30 September, the archdiocese of Paderborn, the dioceses of Essen and Münster, the farmers’ association of Westphalia-Lippe, and the Evangelical Church of Westphalia and Lippe issued a joint statement, in which burning issues of global dimension are tackled: the consequences of global warming, biotechnologies, and the future of farming as a source of food production. The document, signed by Archbishop Hans-Josef Becker, Bishops Felix Genn and Reinhard Lettman, the chairman of the farmers’ association Franx-Josef Möllers, the ecclesiastical chairman of the Evangelical Church Alfred Buß and the superintendent of the Land of Westphalia Martin Dutzmann, offers many ideas for reflection on the concept of the conservation of the Creation. FESTIVAL OF THANKSGIVING . “The festival of thanksgiving for the harvest reminds us of the awesome work of God’s creation in which everything was good and ordered. In this biblical perspective, the festival is on the one hand a chance to express gratitude, and on the other an appeal to preserve the Creation for all those who come after us”, says the document. “We are grateful for the high quality foods that our farming activity produces year after year. They are a source of life and products of the creation. The sustainable exploitation of fields, meadows and forests is an expression of our Christian responsibility to cultivate and conserve the earth”. CLIMATE CHANGE: A NEW CHALLENGE . “Our earth is growing ever warmer. The urgent question remains: what needs to be done to limit its consequences for man and nature and ensure sufficient food for mankind? The societies of the industrialized and semi-industrialized countries have the urgent responsibility to reduce their consumption of non-renewable resources and make their use more efficient. We have the duty to help the less developed countries that have contributed to a lesser degree to global warming, but that often have to suffer most for its consequences. Our Christian morality imposes on us the duty to conserve the creation and share the burdens of it in a fair way, showing solidarity with societies in the southern hemisphere and responsibility for future generations”. BIOENERGY: GREAT POTENTIAL, SOME CONFLICTS . “The growing exploitation of farming areas to produce bioenergy also raises ethical questions in consideration of the hunger that still afflicts parts of our world. Our farm activity must continue to produce food especially, also in future. On the other hand, the importance of bioenergy is growing throughout the world. That is desirable, provided it supports sustainable development from an ecological and social point of view, continues to create added value for farmers and foresters, and does not create conflicts in the sector”. “The objective must be to develop bioenergy with moderation and in a sustainable way”. BIOTECHOLOGIES: INTERVENTION IN GOD’S CREATION. “The use of biotechnologies constitutes a massive intervention in life and creation and has acquired a new quality as a result of patents on domestic animals. The ecological and economic advantage of biotechnologies remains unclear, their effects are always controversial. National research must obtain greater expertise to be able to evaluate their consequences in an ever more reliable and convincing way. Permitting a few large farms to impose new constraints of dependence on large parts of our farming world, and hence on our food production, is beneficial neither to farmers, nor to society as a whole”. FARMING AND CHURCHES TOGETHER . “The agricultural world and the major Churches are united in their concern for a safe and sustainable future. The farmers of Westphalia-Lippe will continue also in future to seek the support of politics and society to enable them to perform their own important tasks for the sustainable development of our society, of farming areas and of agricultural activities. Together we will do our best in this sense”.