SANTA MONICA, California – A group of over 50 teenagers ages 13-18 gathered in a conference room at St. Monica Catholic Church on a Saturday afternoon.
Fourteen-year-old Elizabeth Johnstone stood at the head of the crowd reading a prayer: “Dear Lord, we pray that people everywhere will become more caring for the environment in which they live; and that politicians, planners and builders take environmental concerns seriously. “
What you need to know
- The St. Monica Green team hosted a climate summit for LA youth, especially LA Catholics, to help them learn more about climate activism
- The event dealt with topics such as sustainable agriculture, regenerative agriculture and CO2 neutrality
- Pope Francis has Catholics and all people in his encyclical Laudato Si. called to take better care of the planet
- A representative from the Vatican will attend the upcoming UN climate summit COP26 in Glasgow
It was the opening meeting for the first youth climate summit organized by the St. Monica Green Team, an environmental group for St. Monica communities. Johnstone was one of the organizers. Students were invited, mostly from St. Monica High School and other Catholic schools in the Los Angeles area.
The day consisted of lectures on fast fashion and discussions about the importance of sustainable agriculture. The participants discussed how they could help reduce their own carbon footprint.
Johnstone is a practicing Catholic whose entire family visits St. Monica and she chose to help shape the summit to bring two of her passions together: climate activism and religion.
“Much of the time the destruction of the environment is justified because people say, ‘The Bible says we were put on earth to control it.’ But that’s really not what it says. As Pope Francis points out, going back to Genesis means that as God’s stewards we should take care of creation, “said Johnstone.
Both the St. Monica Green Team and Johnstone often referred to Pope Francis’ encyclical (or essay) “Laudato Si: On Care For Our Common Home” throughout the day to explain why climate activism and environmental protection are so important . First published in 2015, it urges not only Catholics but everyone to take better care of the planet. In it, he points to clear scientific evidence that the climate is warming and that the poor are hardest hit.
“Therefore I urgently appeal for a new dialogue about how we shape the future of our planet,” he writes. “We need a conversation that includes everyone, because the environmental challenge we face and its human roots affect and affect us all.”
Meredith McCarthy, Johnstone’s adult counterpart at the climate summit, said Pope Francis’ encyclical had given her new confidence in her faith.
“‘Laudato Si’ opened the door for me to return to my faith in a whole new way and that was exciting for me personally,” said McCarthy.
McCarthy, a St. Monica parishioner and director of Heal the Bay, added that climate change has always been politicized in the Church, particularly around reproductive rights issues.
“The assumption is that if I am for the environment I am for choice, and if I am for life I am against the environment or I couldn’t possibly vote for someone who is an environmentalist because they would of course to be up for the choice, “said McCarthy.
McCarthy explains that Pope Francis is changing the environmental dialogue in the Church.
“The Pope specifically says that it is time for an ecological change,” added McCarthy.
At the beginning of October Pope Francis invited various religious and faith leaders from all over the world to a conference in the Vatican to prepare for the upcoming UN climate summit “Faith and Science: Towards COP26”. For their part, the religious leaders called on political leaders and governments to help contain global temperature rises. A representative from the Vatican will attend COP26, which begins October 31.
At the end of the Santa Monica Youth Climate Summit, Johnstone was still full of energy.
“I find God most in the spark of activism, especially when young people get together,” said Johnstone. “This is religion for me. I see faith in it, in the unity of people about something so powerful. “
As a young Catholic, Johnstone is optimistic about her belief and devotion to the planet.
“I hope people can begin to see them as partners, as two movements with similar and sometimes even the same goals,” said Johnstone.
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