Ten Commandments for the Environment: Pope Benedict XVI Speaks Out for Creation and Justice Book

A concise and compelling overview of Catholic environmentalism from the heart of the Church and from the Holy Father Newsweek is calling "the Green Pope."

Seasoned author and journalist Woodeene Koenig-Bricker skillfully weaves together Pope Benedict's key statements on environmental justice into one volume. Additionally, she offers commentary that helps to unpack the Ten Commandments for the Environment, which were recently released by the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace.

Koenig-Bricker helps us understand an environmentally responsible lifestyle as a moral responsibility to protect the poor, who suffer most when climate change creates a shortage of resources. With practical, everyday ideas for reducing one's ecological footprint, this book is a must-read for those seeking the inspiration that the Holy Father radiates to a new generation of Catholics.

"We must respect the interior laws of creation, of this Earth, to learn these laws and obey them if we want to survive."

Pope Benedict XVI

"Recent Christian Statements on the Environment"

"Caring for God's creation means not only saving the animals and trees, but protecting humanity as well. Of particular concern to the church is how climate change and the response to it will affect poor and vulnerable people here at home and around the world."

Cecilia Calvo

Project Coordinator of the Environmental Justice Program

U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops

"We live in a world of finite space and finite resource. Endless trajectories of growth are not realistic; and our own rising "oceans" of food and fuel prices are a stark reminder that scarcity is not someone else's problem in today's and tomorrow'sworld."

Rowan Williams

Archbishop of Canterbury

"Unlike our evangelical fathers who sat on their hands and tolerated racism, we will not sit on our hands today, and we will not either, in the end, have to apologize to our children for doing nothing about what is a threat to the entire biosphere."

Richard Cizek

Vice President for Governmental Affairs

National Association of Evangelicals

Publishers Weekly

Despite a slightly misleading title, this compilation does a creditable job of summarizing contemporary Catholic thought on the timely topic of the environment. The book purports to be about what Benedict XVI, who has been dubbed "the green pope" for his interest in environmental issues, is saying, but it contains substantial commentary from others as well, including his predecessor, John Paul II. Benedict is keen on the environment and has had plenty to say about it since his election in 2004. Koenig-Bricker is careful to point out that Benedict adheres to Judeo-Christian teaching, holding that the earth was created by God and is not a god itself, and that it is neither equal to nor superior to humanity, but God's gift to humans. (May)