Water and rock oil do not mix well

 

In an address to the European Parliament, Pope Francis said, "...Our earth needs constant concern and attention.  Each of us has a personal responsibility to care for creation, this precious gift which God has entrusted to us.  This means, on the one hand, that nature is at our disposal, to enjoy and use properly.  Yet it also means that we are not its masters.  Stewards, but not masters.  We need to love and respect nature, but “instead we are often guided by the pride of dominating, possessing, manipulating, exploiting; we do not ‘preserve’ the earth, we do not respect it, we do not consider it as a freely-given gift to look after”. Respect for the environment, however, means more than not destroying it; it also means using it for good purposes...."
 
Here in America, this is contested. At the Standing Rock Reservation in North Dakota, the Lakota Sioux and their friends are standing for water; economic interests are trying to force in an oil pipeline. Here in Cleveland, people are standing in prayerful solidarity Sundays at 11am, at the Native American Garden on MLKJr. Blvd. To-day, my nephew and me attended, this is similar to when we attended the prayer vigils at nearby St. Casimir.