Vatican—100% Renewable Energy by 2050

The Catholic Peace Weekly columnist explains our need to harness the power of the sun in the workings of our world.

Our ‘common home’ Earth is boiling. With temperatures exceeding 40℃ and extreme rainfall, the intensity of climate change is reaching a catastrophic level. While the Earth suffers in this way, humans turn a blind eye, content with the immediate benefits. Selfish indifference is leading to the destruction of all creatures. 

The primary cause of the climate crisis is the increased emission of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, resulting from the extensive use of fossil fuels. The international community’s awareness of climate change began with the adoption of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change at the Rio Conference in Brazil in 1992. Since then, 29 Conferences of the Parties (COPs) have been held every year to limit greenhouse gas emissions, but they have failed to stop the rise in the Earth’s average temperature. 

At the 21st COP held in 2015, the Paris Agreement was adopted, which limited the increase in the Earth’s average temperature to 1.5℃ and contained greenhouse gas reduction goals for each country. However, last year, the average global temperature rose by 1.55 °C compared to pre-industrial times, marking the highest level ever recorded. To prevent the climate crisis, it is essential to transition away from fossil fuels and toward sustainable, renewable energy sources. 

Renewable energy refers to all forms of energy that already exist in nature, such as solar energy, hydroelectric power, and wind power. Among them, solar energy plays a key role in renewable energy. 

In June 2024, Pope Francis announced the motu proprio Fratello Sole, an ‘urgent order’. He ordered the construction of an ‘agricultural solar power plant’ on the Vatican grounds outside Rome with the goal of ‘zero’ carbon emissions. Pope Leo XIV followed suit and announced ‘Vatican RE100’ to cover the entire Vatican with 100% renewable energy by 2050. 

The Lee Jae-myung government’s energy policy is an ‘energy mix’ that utilizes existing nuclear power plants to the maximum extent and expands renewable energy. As of 2023, the share of power generation in our country is only 31% coal and nuclear power, 27% LNG, and 10% renewable energy. During his candidacy, President Lee said, “Nuclear power is cheap right now, but it can be costly when you consider waste disposal and risk costs.” He also said, “We cannot export due to international greenhouse gas regulations,” and “The sun, light, and wind belong to us all.” 

The Catholic Church advocates for climate justice through ‘decarbonization’ such as coal phase-out, denuclearization, and de-transmission towers. However, its stance on nuclear power as an energy source is cautious. 

As discussions continue on the role of nuclear power in the process of transitioning to RE100, the threat of nuclear power and the stability of waste management must be addressed. Currently, investment and momentum in nuclear energy are increasing worldwide, and our country is a leading exporter of nuclear power. 

The Vatican is the smallest country in the world with no industrial facilities or trade. However, the Vatican’s efforts to promote RE100 could have a significant impact on the global energy industry. Because it can serve as a compass guiding the future of the energy industry and driving the expansion of ESG (environmental, social, and governance performance standards). Investment based on moral authority, vast diplomatic power, and the presence of 1.4 billion Catholics worldwide. 

To prevent climate change and fully preserve the Earth, inexhaustible solar energy is essential. The power of all-natural energy is the sun. The climate crisis can be an opportunity. To do so, we need to empathize with the crisis, unite, and act together. To produce renewable energy, we need to establish a low-carbon economic structure and create new jobs and markets. The sun, the eldest brother of the planets, is now speaking to the Earth. “I will eliminate climate disease and take good care of the Earth! Make more use of me.” 

In Search of the Abundant Life

 

In the Preciousness of Faith column in the Catholic Peace Weekly, a seminary professor reflects on the many who have left the community of faith.

Among the friends he made during his first communion, very few attend church. This broadens his perspective and leads him to ask those who do not believe. Why do they not believe? However, from their point of view, we who attend church must seem even stranger. They might wonder: why do you believe? In fact, whether we believe it or not, we are all walking the same path. We may be lost or paused for a short or long time, but in search for the meaning of life—what is it all about?

For some, questions will arise quickly, and for others, slowly. How should we live our lives to be valuable and meaningful? What must we do to achieve the fullness of our lives? Jesus's following words are profoundly significant for us who ask these questions: "For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them." (Matthew 13:12)

In light of experience, spiritual growth will regress if it is not continually pursued. Some of us may have paused our faith for a short or long time. At first, the lack of church attendance and religious practice may feel comfortable and freeing. We become engrossed in things we haven't done before, things that immediately attract us. But when worldly temptations crash down on us and we flounder, there comes a moment when we realize we have become impoverished.

Like the younger son in the parable of the lost son (Luke 15:11-32), in tatters of body and soul, we begin to ask ourselves: how did I end up like this? Then, memories of the joy and happiness experienced during times of faith surface. We resolve to start living our faith again.

In returning to the Father's house, we come to realize what it means to live as a child of God in a community united in prayer and song. Although we do not often feel it, through our routine spiritual practices, we receive spiritual and physical nourishment, maintain our health, and seek God's blessing.

Korean Liberation Day

A researcher from the Jesuit Human Rights Research Center offers insights in the Catholic News Paper on the 80th anniversary of liberation.  

The summer of 1945 was a season of liberation from Japanese colonial rule. However, it was also a season marked by the end of the war, with countless lives lost on the front lines, and the dropping of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which brought about an irreversible tragedy in human history. 

The result of sacrificing countless civilians to end the war was not merely the conclusion of the conflict. It marked the beginning of another war, one that entangled narratives of perpetration and victimization, even dividing the very ways in which memory is constructed.

Thus, the memories of August 1945 were layered on top of each other, with Korea's liberation, Japan's defeat, and the destructive power of nuclear weapons witnessed by the world. Japan commemorates this period as “memories of war damage” and emphasizes the atomic bomb damage in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. These memories mainly emphasize the horrors of war, while at the same time obscuring the responsibility for the war of aggression. The responsibility and apology for the Japanese imperialism's long-standing aggression and colonial rule over its Asian neighbors, as well as the numerous atrocities committed under the name of the Greater East Asia War, remain vague.

The argument that we should forget the pain of the past and move toward reconciliation for a better future is also problematic when power inequality is at play. In particular, when forgiveness is forced upon victims without regard for the context and conditions of forgiveness, it is tantamount to another form of violence.

Christ's forgiveness is often misunderstood in this context. In fact, there are reports that among victims of domestic violence, it is Christians who suffer the deepest inner pain. This is because even within the church, the “theology of forgiveness” has functioned as a tool to force victims into silence. Victims are too often told, “We must forgive the perpetrator as Jesus forgave us” and “We must accept our suffering as Christ suffered.” However, these words serve as a means of justifying the continuation of violence and can become a double burden of pain for victims, silencing them on top of their wounds.

On the other hand, do we have the courage to break away from the familiar narrative of seeing ourselves only as victims? Korea was certainly a victim that endured a long history of colonialism, but at some point in modern history, it also stood in the position of the perpetrator. For example, the massacre of civilians by the Korean military in the villages of Phong Ni and Phong Nut in Quang Nam Province, Vietnam, has yet to be properly investigated and apologized for to this day. When we acknowledge that we cannot simply be victims before the court of history, and when we accept that anyone can be both a victim and a perpetrator, then the process of forgiveness and reconciliation based on honest memory will finally become possible.

Forgiveness is not about covering up the past, but about making a commitment to ensure that such a past is never repeated. Remembering the summer of 80 years ago, which was both liberation and another form of oppression, light and darkness at the same time, we must ask again: How do we forgive, what do we apologize for, and why must we remember?

Need For Communication

 

In the Catholic Times View from the Ark column, a professor in a university Department of Urban Engineering gives the readers something to reflect on.

Communication is more effective when it is two-way rather than one-way. You must give God a chance to speak. He prefers prayers in which you ask for His will and listen carefully to what He wants from you.

How does God speak to me? He may convey His will through the “people” I meet in my life. Sometimes He reveals His heart through “events.” And more often than not, He expresses Himself to people through nature, which serves as a medium for His words and messages.

Even during the recent heat wave, if we listen carefully, we can hear what He is trying to tell us through the heat. That is, if we stop and listen attentively.  Even though the heat is painful and annoying, if we can hear God's voice in the heatwave and find the path He is pointing us toward, then enduring this long summer will be worthwhile.

In the suffocating heat, I hear God's voice, "Stop tormenting the earth!” I also hear Him say, “Please take the lead in reducing carbon emissions so that the Earth does not get any hotter!” In the early 1990s, the 15 member states of the European Union sensed the global carbon crisis and have been working hard to reduce carbon emissions for the past 30 years. 

As a result, they reduced carbon emissions by nearly 20-30% in sectors such as construction, power generation, and agriculture. However, carbon emissions from transportation increased by 30%, so they are now focusing on reducing carbon emissions in the transportation sector. France has taken steps to reduce carbon emissions by eliminating short-haul flights that can be covered by train in two and a half hours or less. Are we making such efforts? Or are we moving in the opposite direction?

Caring for this world, which God created with love, is the duty and mission of us believers. Let us listen to God's voice in the heatwave. When we see outdoor air conditioners blowing hot air, let us realize that they are heating up our villages and cities even more to cool our rooms and homes. If we have been idling our cars without thinking, out of concern for our loved ones, let us realize that this is making the air outside our cars even hotter.

Professor Kim Seung-seop, who has studied the social causes of disease, shares the story of the “lessons from the Chicago heatwave disaster” in his 2017 book, “When Pain Becomes a Path.” That July, Chicago experienced a heatwave with a heat index of 48 degrees Celsius, which persisted for days, resulting in over 700 deaths. It was a disaster of unprecedented proportions.

An analysis of the causes of death due to the heatwave revealed that those who died were often sick individuals, those living alone, and those who could not escape the heatwave.

An analysis of the causes of death revealed that those who were sick, lived alone, remained in their homes despite the heat, or were socially isolated were more likely to perish. In some cases, the mortality rate from heatstroke differed by more than tenfold between neighboring communities, with areas where community cohesion had broken down and public safety was unstable showing significantly higher death rates.

Four years later, in July 1999, another heatwave struck. The mayor of Chicago activated an emergency climate response strategy, opening 34 cooling centers where people could escape the heat and operating free buses. When it was determined that there were insufficient cooling centers, 31 schools were quickly added within a day. Visits and health checks were also conducted for over 30,000 vulnerable individuals. The number of heatwave-related deaths that year dropped to 110. This was the result of knowing the cause and responding swiftly.

Let us listen to God's voice speaking through the heatwave. Let us reflect on why our common home, the Earth, is becoming so hot, and seek out and practice what we can do. If we have come to realize that the socially vulnerable are even more vulnerable in the face of disasters like heatwaves, our communication with God will have deepened, and our reflection and action will resonate throughout the world as God's clearer and more powerful voice.  

Virtue in the Spiritual Life

In the "Life Wisdom Learned from the Desert Fathers' column of the Catholic Times, the Benedictine monk offers readers a deeper understanding of virtue in their spiritual life.

Those who have reached perfection are gentle, humble, and always maintain their composure. Pride and vanity are the biggest obstacles… Impossible without God’s grace.

‘Gather Virtue!’ This theme may sound a bit awkward. It contains the meanings of ‘accumulating virtue,’ ‘acquiring virtue,’ and ‘cultivating virtue.’ The expression ‘gather’ is inspired by the concept of a ‘wise bee.’ Virtue is called ‘virtus’ in Latin, which means ‘power’ or ‘courage’ to do good. It can be said to be ‘good habits’ as the opposite of ‘vice’ (vitio), which means ‘bad habits’. The life of asceticism is the process of eliminating vices and planting virtues.

Therefore, it involves efforts to acquire virtues while combating vices. Victory over vices brings about the acquisition of corresponding virtues. Cassianus states that vices and their corresponding virtues cannot coexist in a person simultaneously. It is up to the persons themself to decide, according to their conscience, where to focus their attention.

The desert monks struggled to acquire virtue, and they believed that it was God’s grace that enabled them to advance in virtue and eliminate vices. 

Athanasius, in his Life of Antony, compares Antony to a wise bee and testifies: “At first Antony also began to live near his own village. As soon as he heard of a certain man full of zeal, he went to him like a wise bee (cf. Septuagint Psalm 6:8). Antony did not return home until he had seen him and had received some food for his way in virtue.” 

As a bee collects honey from various flowers, Antony tried to collect virtue from various people. This is because one cannot find all the virtues in one person. Therefore, one must imitate each of the virtues in various people. And he must actively seek out virtue and try to imitate it, just as a bee diligently searches for honey.

Cassianus explains this in detail. “We should not look for all the virtues in one person, however excellent he may be. In fact, some are adorned with the flowers of knowledge, others with the art of discernment, some with the weight of patience, some with the virtue of humility, some with the virtue of self-denial. Still others with the grace of simplicity. One surpasses the others by generosity, another by charity, by vigilance, by silence, by labor.

For this reason, a monk who wants to collect spiritual honey, like a wise bee, should collect each virtue from those who have advanced in some virtue, and carefully gather it into his own vessel. He should not worry about the virtues that the other person lacks, but should only focus on acquiring the virtues that he has. For if we were to acquire all the virtues from one person, we would hardly find a model to imitate. 

This is a reasonable and helpful teaching. We humans are not perfect, so we cannot possess all the virtues. Each person has their own strengths and weaknesses. When we, like the wise bees, try to find and emulate the good in others, our spiritual life will progress even further.

The desert monks struggled to acquire virtue. Abba Isidore explains why: “Evil separates people from God and separates them from one another. Therefore, we must quickly turn away from evil and pursue virtue. Virtue leads us to God and unites us with one another.” Just as there are many vices, there are also many virtues that are their counterparts.

They tried to acquire as many virtues as possible. The following two maxims from Abba Poemen illustrate this well: ‘Can a man rely on only one act?’ The elder answered,  ‘I would rather have a little of all the virtues'. “When someone prepares to build a house, he gathers together everything he needs for the construction, and he collects various kinds of materials. So too, let us have a little of all the virtues.”  

The story of two brothers who lived together in harmony in the desert for many years illustrates their remarkable pursuit of virtue. They competed with each other in patience and humility. Then one day, God revealed to one brother the virtues of the other brother in a special way. The brother recognized the superiority of the other brother and, from that moment on, he called him master, not brother, and treated him as his elder.  Here, we see extreme humility, not pride or jealousy, which can easily give rise to spiritual competition. If we were in this situation, we might be consumed by jealousy, anger, and pride.

The Desert Fathers regarded pride and vanity as the most significant obstacles to cultivating virtue. Pride mercilessly robs the soul of all its virtues. Cassianus says: “How dangerous and serious is the disease of pride! So much justice and virtue, so great faith and devotion, are destroyed by vanity, that they change the very nature and laws of the world, and all these virtues disappear into oblivion as if they had never existed.” 

And “there is no vice that so removes all virtue, and strips and strips a man of all righteousness and holiness, as the evil of pride. Pride is like a contagious disease that spreads throughout the whole body, and not only infects one part, but also injures the whole body, and seeks to completely destroy and crush those who have already reached the height of virtue.”

That is why they were most wary of pride. One of the elders received a revelation that there were worldly people who were very virtuous. Great elders who had reached the height of perfection were afraid of thinking that they were superior to others. God often made them aware that there were laymen who were just as virtuous as they were, in order to protect them from pride. A certain monk, who is taught by an angel that he is not as holy as a lay farmer, meets him and is impressed by his words. 

The first of all virtues is humility. Humility was the essence of the daily life of the desert monks. They believed that it was the grace of God that made it possible to advance in all virtues and to eliminate all vices. The teaching of the Desert Fathers is that no one can attain perfection by human effort alone without the grace of God. A person who has attained perfection is someone who is meek and humble like Jesus and who always maintains a constant sense of equanimity. Meekness, humility, and equanimity are the marks of a virtuous person. 

Poll on Attire For Mass Attendance

“What do you think about attire for Mass attendance?” July survey results... 2,791 participants.

The Catholic Newspaper and Catholic Good News of the Archdiocese of Seoul conducted a Catholic POLL from July 9 to 23 on the theme of “What do you think about attire for attending Mass?” A total of 2,791 people participated in the survey.

The majority of believers think that clothes that are too tight or see-through are inappropriate attire for Mass.

In the question asking respondents to select all attire they consider inappropriate for Mass attendance, the largest number (2,338) chose “clothing that clings to the body.” This was followed by “see-through thin clothing” (2,233), “slippers” (2,155), ‘sunglasses’ (1,962), “shorts or skirts above the knee” (1,870), “athletic wear (training suits, hiking gear, etc.)” (1,717), sleeveless tops (1,708), hats (1,653), and sandals worn barefoot (1,136). Few respondents chose sandals worn with socks (331) or knee-length shorts or skirts (296). There were also 112 respondents who believed that all of the suggested attire was appropriate for attending Mass.

When asked about their thoughts on attire for Mass attendance, most respondents answered that “inappropriate attire could make other Mass attendees uncomfortable” (1,641 people) and that “clothing appropriate for public places is acceptable for Mass” (1,352 people). The opinions that followed were, “Even if it is uncomfortable, you should wear formal attire as much as possible” (1,248 people) and “You should dress formally as usual, but light summer attire should be acceptable” (1,125 people). 

“It seems that there are more restrictions on women's attire than men's” (493 people). “Wearing comfortable clothes makes it easier to attend Mass” (440 respondents). “Attending Mass is important, and it doesn't matter what you wear” (276 respondents), and “People who are bothered by others' attire are the problem” (231 respondents).

The most common item people bring to Mass is a “smart device (smartphone, tablet, etc.) for viewing daily Mass, Catholic hymns, etc.” (1,512 people). Next were books for daily Mass (1,476), rosaries (1,337), and Catholic hymns (1,109). 

In the case of Mass books, 1,334 said they brought them, which corresponds to 65% of the 2,051 female respondents. On the other hand, 187 respondents said they did not bring anything to Mass. Some respondents said they brought the Catholic Prayer Book (184), the Bible (116), and church books such as the Legion of Mary textbook and devotional books (74).  

33% (916) of all respondents said they always read the readings and the Gospel before Mass. 49% (1,376 people) read the readings and the Gospel occasionally, but not always, and attended Mass. 18% (499 people) did not read the readings and the Gospel before Mass.

Faith and Reason in Search of Truth

The Catholic Peace Weekly's "Preciousness of Faith" column reflects on the life of faith: "Faith the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." (Heb. 11)  

There are many people around us who no longer hold religious beliefs. Among the columnist's childhood friends, almost none of them attend church today. We ask the non-believers: Why don’t you believe? However, from their perspective, it is a greater mystery: Why do you still believe?

Whether we believe or not, we walk the same path. We search for meaning.  Some people ask questions quickly, while others do so slowly. How should we live so that our lives are valuable and meaningful? What does it mean to live a full life? Nihilism denies this meaning. 

The following words of Jesus come to us who ask these questions. “For to him who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; from him who has nothing, even what he has will be taken away.” (Matthew 13:12)

According to the columnist's experience, spiritual growth tends to regress if not nurtured. Through this dialogue with non-believers, we are invited to rediscover the profound value of life and deepen our understanding of existence.

John Paul II's encyclical Fides et Ratio makes clear that faith and reason are essential for an understanding of truth and they should work together. In the 48th paragraph of the encyclical the Pope says: "Parrhesia of faith must be matched by the boldness of reason"  

Faith and reason are essential for a full understanding of truth, and  they should work together rather than in opposition to each other. "Parrhesia" from the Greek means candid and free speech, the obligation to speak the truth for the common good even at personal risk.

We need confidence and openness to express our beliefs in religious faith without fear of judgment or reprisal. It implies a deep-seated trust in the tenets of one's faith and the courage to share that faith with others. Boldness of reason signifies the courage to pursue intellectual inquiry, to question, to analyze, and to explore the depths of human knowledge. It's about not being afraid to grapple with complex ideas, even if they challenge existing beliefs. It involves a commitment to seeking truth through logical thought and evidence-based reasoning.

The phrase emphasizes that neither faith nor reason should dominate the other. Instead, they should complement each other in the quest for truth. Faith provides a framework of belief and a sense of purpose, while reason helps to understand and articulate that faith in a meaningful way. 

Fides et Ratio argues that faith can broaden the horizons of reason, while reason can help to understand and express the truths of faith. They are not mutually exclusive but rather work together to lead individuals toward a more comprehensive understanding of reality and their place within it.