“Obedience to the voice of the earth, of being, is more important for our future happiness than the voices of the moment, the desires of the moment. …
being itself, our earth, speaks to us and we must listen if we want to survive and to decipher this message of the earth.”
- Pope Benedict XVI
“The United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro [is] a once-in-a-generation opportunity
to set the world on a more equitable and sustainable path of development.”
- Ban Ki-moon, UN Secretary General
World leaders and government officials will gather in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 20-22 June 2012 for the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development – commonly referred to as Rio +20. Twenty years after the Earth Summit of 1992, the world will once again come together to take stock of where we have been and to forge agreements on what more needs to be done in order to sustain all life on Earth. As individuals, as institutions, and as a people, we need a change of heart to preserve and protect the planet for now and for future generations.
It is in this spirit that we offer this prayer as a preparation for, and accompaniment of, the Rio +20 Summit. It was inspired by and in part adapted from the Proposal Universal Declaration of the Rights of Mother Earth (especially its Preamble and Article 1.1 and 1.2). To help us to move beyond our habitual use of nature for development, the Bolivian government sponsored the World People's Conference on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth in Cochabamba for thousands of NGOs in 2010 where indigenous peoples insisted on the language of Mother Earth and the realization that we are partners with, not dominators of, the earth we need for life.
Prayer for Mother Earth as a Living Being
Creator and sustainer of all life, we are all part of Mother Earth, an indivisible, living community of interrelated and interdependent beings with a common destiny;
Response: Help us to remember that Mother Earth is a living being.
Creator and sustainer of all life, Mother Earth is the source of life, nourishment and learning, and provides everything we need to live well;
Response: Help us to remember that Mother Earth is a living being.
Creator and sustainer of all life, exploitation, abuse and contamination by humans have caused great destruction, degradation and disruption of Mother Earth, putting life as we know it today at risk;
Response: Help us to remember that Mother Earth is a living being.
Creator and sustainer of all life, in an interdependent living community it is not possible to recognize the rights of human beings alone without causing an imbalance within Mother Earth;
Response: Help us to remember that Mother Earth is a living being.
Creator and sustainer of all life, the regenerative capacity of our planet is finite and we, humans, must reexamine our consumption and production patterns to safeguard life on Mother Earth for future generations;
Response: Help us to remember that Mother Earth is a living being.
Creator and sustainer of all life, to guarantee human rights it is necessary to recognize and defend the rights of Mother Earth and all created beings;
Response: Help us to remember that Mother Earth is a living being.
Creator and sustainer of all life, there is an urgency to take decisive, collective action to transform structures and systems that constitute threats of any kind to Mother Earth;
Response: Help us to remember that Mother Earth is a living being.
Closing prayer
Holy Wisdom and Compassionate One, in the community of life to which we belong, it is Mother Earth who sustains, contains and nurtures all beings. We ask your blessing upon world leaders and government officials who will assemble in Rio de Janeiro for the United Nations World Conference on Sustainable Development in June of this year. Inspire, guide and encourage them to recognize that the central challenges of sustainable development is the re-balancing, as equal partners, of ecology, economy and equity, especially in relation to those living in poverty, so that all life on Earth is equally respected and protected as your gift of life.
Open wide the hearts of all those who attend Rio +20 so they can hear and value each other knowing that the well-being of all life on this planet depends on our interdependence, our true and humble harmony with nature. Strengthen the voice of the many women and men, part of civil society, who have a passionate concern for the health of the earth. Give all of us the courage to welcome your dynamic Spirit so we may turn our hearts and actions to the well-being of our generous Mother Earth. Amen.
Adapted, in part, from the Proposal Universal Declaration of the Rights of Mother Earth,
especially the Preamble and Article 1.1 and 1.2
