VATICAN CITY — The International Theological Commission has described serious damage to the natural world as a “sin against creation and against the Creator” in a new document authorised for publication by Pope Leo XIV.
The document, titled Caring for Our Common Home: A Responsible and Fraternal Response to the Triune God, was published on September 2 and runs to more than 29,000 words.
The commission developed the text through theological discussions held between 2022 and 2025. Its members approved the document by majority vote in July before its publication was authorised.
The text expands on the Catholic Church’s earlier use of the term “ecological sin”, giving greater emphasis to the relationship between damage to creation and Christian responsibility toward God. It identifies environmental problems including destruction of biodiversity, pollution, excessive exploitation of natural resources and ecological damage linked to armed conflicts.
The commission also connects environmental degradation with its effects on people, particularly poorer communities and generations that will inherit the consequences of present-day decisions. The document says environmental responsibility should not be treated only as a scientific, technological or political matter. It calls for changes in patterns of consumption, production, transportation and energy use alongside what it describes as “ecological conversion.”
The text also develops a “Sabbath principle”, linking regular periods of rest with limits on consumption and greater respect for the natural world. It discusses simplicity, fasting, responsible use of resources and obligations toward future generations. The commission rejects an approach that treats nature as something to be exploited without limits, while also rejecting views that place the natural world above human beings. It presents people as having a responsibility to care for creation while remaining part of it.
The document further encourages cooperation among different religious traditions on environmental protection, naming Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, African religions and Indigenous traditions.
Pope Leo XIV has also spoken about ecological responsibility. In his September 1 homily for the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, he linked care for the environment with responsibility toward vulnerable people.
Sources said, the new text is not a papal encyclical. It is a document of the International Theological Commission, an advisory body connected to the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, whose publication was authorised by Pope Leo XIV.
