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Conversations on Jesuit Higher EducationVolume 50 Article 11September 2016The Strong Voice of Appalachia's BishopsEditorial BoardFollow this and additional works at: http://epublications.marquette.edu/conversationsRecommended CitationEditorial Board (2016) "The Strong Voice of Appalachia's Bishops," Conversations on Jesuit Higher Education: Vol. 50 , Article 11.Available at: http://epublications.marquette.edu/conversations/vol50/iss1/11                                                                                                                                                                                                               19deed, the problemsand limitations ofthis region are ar-guably unique withinthe developed world.Sometimes describedas an “energy sacri-fice zone,” the wealthof the land and thepoverty of the peopleof the region have been closely in-tertwined since the introduction ofindustry following the Civil War. In“Laudato Si’,” Francis offers oneparagraph which is particularly di-rect in its challenge to the industrieswhich have dominated the Ap-palachian region for much of its his-tory. He writes, “We know thattechnology based on the use ofhighly polluting fossil fuels – espe-cially coal, but also oil and, to alesser degree, gas – needs to be pro-gressively replaced without delay”(No. 165). Francis recognizes thatthis energy transition will not beeasy or immediate, but he is alsoaware that much of the challengelies in summoning thepolitical will to makethe necessary changes– no small task in anarea where the fossilfuel industry main-tains a force in theimaginations of manypeople, even thoughemployment in the in-dustry has been in steady declinefor decades.        So while a move away from fos-sil fuel industries may be both in-evitable and in the interest of thepeople of Appalachia, the church asan institution can find itself caughtbetween the proverbial rock and acoal mine (or natural gas well), ascan be seen in public statements on“Laudato Si’” by Bishop MichaelBransfield of West Virginia (dioceseof Wheeling-Charleston). In an in-terview with West Virginia PublicRadio earlier this year, BishopBransfield emphasized the idea thatmoving away from fossil fuels “isnot economically feasible in WestThe Strong Voice ofAppalachia’s BishopsThe Catholic Committee of Appalachia is a grassroots organiza-tion of lay and clergy who havebeen committed to the promotionof social and environmental justicein the region since 1970. In theearly 1970s, CCA held listening ses-sions with residents of Appalachiaand was instrumental in draftingthe 1975 pastoral letter “This LandIs Home to Me,” which was eventu-ally signed bythe bishops ofthe region andwhich has influ-enced numer-ous movementsand ministriesin Appalachiaand beyond. Twenty years later, thebishops issued a second statement,“At Home in the Web of Life,” offer-ing a vision of sustainable commu-nities – in many ways, an earlyarticulation of an integral ecology.In 2015, CCA marked the 40th an-niversary of the original letter bypublishing “The Telling Takes UsHome,” a “people’s pastoral” that revisits andreaffirmstheir commit-ment to lis-tening to thevoices of theregion andrespondingto the signs of the times – andplaces – in which they live.Far left: Mountaintop removal coal mine operation, Kayford Mountain, West Virginia.Above: A slurry pond; coal dust holding waste of coal mining. Photos by Creighton University student Ayet Nguyen. Courtesy of The Cliﬀord M. Lewis, SJ Appalachian Institute.Top: http://www.wju.edu/ai/research/research.html#p=11: The Strong Voice of Appalachia's BishopsPublished by e-Publications@Marquette, 2016

The Strong Voice of Appalachia\u27s Bishops

Conversations on Jesuit Higher EducationVolume 49 Jesuit Higher Education in a GlobalContext Article 37September 2016The Strong Voice of Appalachia's BishopsEditorial BoardFollow this and additional works at: http://epublications.marquette.edu/conversationsRecommended CitationEditorial Board (2016) "The Strong Voice of Appalachia's Bishops," Conversations on Jesuit Higher Education: Vol. 49 , Article 37.Available at: http://epublications.marquette.edu/conversations/vol49/iss1/37                                                                                                                                                                                                               19deed, the problemsand limitations ofthis region are ar-guably unique withinthe developed world.Sometimes describedas an “energy sacri-fice zone,” the wealthof the land and thepoverty of the peopleof the region have been closely in-tertwined since the introduction ofindustry following the Civil War. In“Laudato Si’,” Francis offers oneparagraph which is particularly di-rect in its challenge to the industrieswhich have dominated the Ap-palachian region for much of its his-tory. He writes, “We know thattechnology based on the use ofhighly polluting fossil fuels – espe-cially coal, but also oil and, to alesser degree, gas – needs to be pro-gressively replaced without delay”(No. 165). Francis recognizes thatthis energy transition will not beeasy or immediate, but he is alsoaware that much of the challengelies in summoning thepolitical will to makethe necessary changes– no small task in anarea where the fossilfuel industry main-tains a force in theimaginations of manypeople, even thoughemployment in the in-dustry has been in steady declinefor decades.        So while a move away from fos-sil fuel industries may be both in-evitable and in the interest of thepeople of Appalachia, the church asan institution can find itself caughtbetween the proverbial rock and acoal mine (or natural gas well), ascan be seen in public statements on“Laudato Si’” by Bishop MichaelBransfield of West Virginia (dioceseof Wheeling-Charleston). In an in-terview with West Virginia PublicRadio earlier this year, BishopBransfield emphasized the idea thatmoving away from fossil fuels “isnot economically feasible in WestThe Strong Voice ofAppalachia’s BishopsThe Catholic Committee of Appalachia is a grassroots organiza-tion of lay and clergy who havebeen committed to the promotionof social and environmental justicein the region since 1970. In theearly 1970s, CCA held listening ses-sions with residents of Appalachiaand was instrumental in draftingthe 1975 pastoral letter “This LandIs Home to Me,” which was eventu-ally signed bythe bishops ofthe region andwhich has influ-enced numer-ous movementsand ministriesin Appalachiaand beyond. Twenty years later, thebishops issued a second statement,“At Home in the Web of Life,” offer-ing a vision of sustainable commu-nities – in many ways, an earlyarticulation of an integral ecology.In 2015, CCA marked the 40th an-niversary of the original letter bypublishing “The Telling Takes UsHome,” a “people’s pastoral” that revisits andreaffirmstheir commit-ment to lis-tening to thevoices of theregion andrespondingto the signs of the times – andplaces – in which they live.Far left: Mountaintop removal coal mine operation, Kayford Mountain, West Virginia.Above: A slurry pond; coal dust holding waste of coal mining. Photos by Creighton University student Ayet Nguyen. Courtesy of The Cliﬀord M. Lewis, SJ Appalachian Institute.Top: http://www.wju.edu/ai/research/research.html#p=11: The Strong Voice of Appalachia's BishopsPublished by e-Publications@Marquette, 2016

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The Strong Voice of Appalachia\u27s Bishops

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