The Holy Father is extending his general prayer request of November in recognition of the United Nations Climate Change Conference, December 7-19, 2009, in Copenhagen, Denmark.  The Pope asks us to pray that all people embrace the God-given responsibility to care for the Earth, working together to restore and preserve it for current and future generations.  The following is the Apostleship of Prayer reflection for this prayer intention.

This month Pope Benedict reminds us that we are obligated to care for our "common home," this earth we share with all peoples of the world. To pollute, to exploit our natural resources, and to consume more than the earth can sustain - these are grave sins against the seventh commandment, "You shall not steal."

The Catechism of the Catholic Church says: The seventh commandment forbids unjustly taking or keeping the goods of one's neighbor and wronging him in any way with respect to his goods. It commands justice and charity in the care of earthly goods and the fruits of men's labor (Paragraph 2415).

Speaking of the marvels of God's creation as he welcomed pilgrims to World Youth Day in Sydney, Australia, 2008, Pope Benedict said, "Perhaps reluctantly we come to acknowledge that there are also scars which mark the surface of our earth: erosion, deforestation, the squandering of the world's mineral and ocean resources in order to fuel an insatiable consumption. Some of you come from island nations whose very existence is threatened by rising water levels; others from nations suffering from devastating drought."

Some unfairly accuse the Judeo-Christian tradition of contributing to the damage of our environment. They base the accusation on the Biblical account of God's command to "fill the earth and subdue it" (Genesis 1: 28-30). Whatever our own failings, God certainly has not commanded to do violence to his good creation. Rather God has put us on this earth to care for it with love, cultivating it to feed and sustain all peoples, including those who will come after us. Knowing that creation is God's gift, we Christians are right to lead the way in protecting the environment.

Let us pray that all of us - especially those who have the power to make policy - will find ways to take better care of our "common home."