Almost a third of Catholic parish grounds ‘should be returned to nature by 2030′

Parishes should return as much as 30 per cent of parish grounds across Ireland to nature by 2030, a Catholic bishop has said.

Bishop of Kilmore Martin Hayes drew attention to recent Met Éireann statistics that showed that last month was the warmest June in 83 years.

“This Met Éireann data highlights that we are being impacted by global warming which is having a particular effect on Europe,” he said in a statement on Thursday.

“We may feel overwhelmed by these scientific facts and that we can do nothing to reverse this global trend of rising temperatures. However, as individual Christians and as parish communities we can take actions to address the impact of the current climate crisis,” he said.

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Bishop Hayes drew attention to a recommendation by Ireland’s Catholic bishops at their spring meeting last March that parishes “through their parish pastoral councils and diocesan trusts, as a first step, to identify and care for 30 per cent of parish grounds as a haven for pollinators and biodiversity, in order that it can be enjoyed in perpetuity by the whole community”.

The Bishops said that “in embracing this initiative we encourage parishes to expand their circles of solidarity, to protect and care for biodiversity and recommend that, by 2030, 30 per cent of church grounds be returned to nature”.

Bishop Hayes also spoke of the church’s 2023 Season of Creation, which runs from September 1st to October 4th, with the theme of “let justice and peace flow”, when people are asked to “to speak out with and for communities most impacted by climate injustice and the loss of biodiversity”.