Gratitude for a wider garment without seams:
472. The Church is grateful to all who devote themselves to defending life and the environment. Particular importance must be given to the most serious destruction under way in human ecology.(Centesimus Annus 38)
One problem is the ascent of farming by corporations. Farming has moved from human sustenance into the realm of short-term, large-scale profit. Instead of producing human nourishment, Third World farming becomes a production operation for First World luxuries.
The bishops reiterate their support for farmers:
She is close to small farmers who with generous love very laboriously work the land, sometimes under extremely difficult conditions, to sustain their families and provide all with the fruits of the earth. She especially cherishes the indigenous for their respect for nature and love for mother earth as source of food, common home, and altar of human sharing.
For deeper examination, an English translation of the 2007 document from the Aparecida Conference.
