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By JULIE MINDA

The encyclical that Pope Francis released in late spring on the issue of environmental degradation is a call for global dialogue and action to address the damage he says people are doing to the Earth. Catholic health ministry leaders told Catholic Health World the pontiff's treatise already is bringing new attention to environmental concerns and inspiring people worldwide to make real change. They said they believe the encyclical will have a deep and lasting impact on the work of Catholic health systems and facilities, motivating even the most environmentally conscious systems and hospitals to pursue a deeper commitment to the cause.

Providence Health & Services of Renton, Wash., is among the many Catholic health systems that already have robust environmental programs. Here, Ulysses Hammon, center, explains his responsibilities as an employee of Portland, Ore.'s Providence Health & Services Recycling Center to a group on a pre-CleanMed tour in May. CleanMed is a national conference for leaders in health care sustainability.

Sr. Susan Vickers, RSM, vice president, corporate responsibility, for San Francisco-based Dignity Health, said of the Catholic health ministry, "We have an opportunity to lead boldly — and I think this encyclical will bolster our efforts and give greater priority" to environmental efforts.

Colleen Scanlon, senior vice president and chief advocacy officer of Englewood, Colo.-based Catholic Health Initiatives, said, "This encyclical heightens our sense of urgency and the depth of our commitment — this is the right and moral thing to do. The pope saying this provides the needed impetus for action." The encyclical will inform and influence CHI's environmental work, she said.

A challenge to act
In the pope's nearly 190-page encyclical letter "Laudato Si … On Care for Our Common Home," dated May 24, he uses scientific information to make the case that human activity has caused much harm to the planet and that environmental degradation has had a disproportionate impact on the world's poorest people. He writes that the pursuit of material possessions and of profit is a key culprit in environmental destruction. He calls for solutions that address poverty, respect human dignity and protect the Earth.

In the encyclical's closing chapters, Pope Francis urges dialogue and corrective action — at the individual, local, national and global levels. He writes, "An interdependent world not only makes us more conscious of the negative effects of certain lifestyles and models of production and consumption which affect us all; more importantly, it motivates us to ensure that solutions are proposed from a global perspective, and not simply to defend the interests of a few countries."

Said Sr. Carol Keehan, DC, CHA president and chief executive officer: "Pope Francis has called us to face the issues. His constant plea in the encyclical is for people to recognize their responsibility to the Earth, to each other and to God. I am hopeful we will see people taking more seriously the urgency of this problem" of environmental destruction.

Ministry alignment
Catholic health care leaders said they were heartened to see how closely their systems' values, environmental efforts and strategic direction are aligned with the perspective of Pope Francis. And these ministry leaders said they foresee his encyclical providing incentive for intensified efforts going forward.

Sr. Vickers said she expects that when Dignity Health's governing board and the system's sustainability council meet, they will discuss plans "to further engage on climate change issues." She expects that work will have to do with climate resiliency, public health impacts of climate change and greenhouse gas emission reduction.

Sr. Andrea Nenzel, CSJP, is chair of the board of Vancouver, Wash.-based PeaceHealth — that board is both the fiduciary governing body and the private juridic person sponsor of the system. She said environmental stewardship long has been a priority for the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace and for the 10 PeaceHealth hospitals they operate in the northwestern U.S. PeaceHealth facilities incorporate green design components including in lighting and heating and cooling systems.

Sr. Nenzel said when the congregation meets this fall, and then later this year when the board meets, she expects the leaders to evaluate how well existing efforts line up with the pope's priorities, and she expects both groups to reflect on how to build upon those efforts. She said it is possible they will discuss how to intensify PeaceHealth's water conservation efforts — a focus of Pope Francis. She said the system may explore new ways to reuse greywater, which is easy-to-process wastewater from sinks, dishwashers, baths, showers and the like — not from toilets. Sr. Nenzel thinks the leaders may consider how to encourage PeaceHealth associates to increase their use of public transportation. She also foresees that the system may encourage small-group gatherings and internal communications, such as newsletters, to get associates thinking about and studying the encyclical.

Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, Calif., expanded its connection to the city’s reclaimed water system with this link that feeds the hospital’s air conditioning system. According to information from Providence, using reclaimed wastewater will save about 16 million gallons of water a year, an important move in drought-stricken California.

Sr. Pat Eck, CBS, is chair of Bon Secours Ministries, the public juridic person of Bon Secours Health System of Marriottsville, Md., and Dr. Don Seitz is a member of the fiduciary board of that system. Both said that at those leadership groups' meetings, which were to happen the weekCatholic Health World went to press, they expected that board members would discuss how the health system's directional statement, past work and strategic plan align with the papal focus on protecting the Earth. Bon Secours' directional statement calls for the system to "steward the resources of the ministry in creative and pioneering ways to ensure sustainability," and its three-year strategic plan ending in 2018 includes plans to expand the system's efforts to conserve water and energy.

Sr. Eck and Seitz said that while Bon Secours has a very robust and practical approach to sustainable use of natural resources, the two believe the encyclical challenges the system's board members and sponsors to consider additional ways to promote green energy use and curb pollution.

Personal reflection, collaborative change
Pope Francis writes that action is needed on the individual level, too. He challenges people to consider their own personal impact on the environment, to simplify their lives, reduce their consumption and to pray for positive change. Sr. Eck said that Bon Secours is encouraging associates to consider the implications of the encyclical in their own lives — the system has included references to the papal treatise in prayer and educational resources sent out to employees.

CHA and other Catholic organizations are creating information hubs for those seeking resources on the encyclical.

Sr. Vickers said, "I'm hopeful the encyclical will facilitate real, meaningful policy change on a global level." She noted that the encyclical is well timed — world leaders will convene in Paris late this year for the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The event's goal is to achieve an international agreement on actions to address global warming. Sr. Vickers anticipates that the Dignity Health board and the system's sustainability council will develop a plan to participate in — and influence — the Paris negotiations.

Daniel Misleh, executive director of the Washington, D.C.-based Catholic Climate Covenant, said he believes the encyclical already has raised the level of dialogue globally about environmental damage.