Panel to discuss Catholic Church’s support of greenhouse gas regulations

A panel will speak on the Environmental Protection Agency's new greenhouse gas regulations and the Catholic Church's support of them, at 11:30 a.m. and then again at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 7, on the campus of the College of Saint Benedict, Gorecki Center 204.

The panel discussion, "Creation Care: The EPA's New Greenhouse Gas Regulations and the Catholic Church's Support," features four speakers, including three faculty members from College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University. They are:

• Bernie Evans, CSB and SJU associate professor of theology and Virgil Michel Ecumenical Chair in Rural Social Ministries, will provide an outline of authentic Catholic teaching regarding the care of God's creation.

• Jessica O'Reilly, CSB and SJU associate professor of sociology, will offer an overview of mainstream climate science.

• Jeff Anderson, CSB and SJU associate professor of peace studies, will reflect on the environment and conflict of the greenhouse gas regulations.

• Lonnie Ellis, associate director of the Catholic Climate Covenant. He is a Secular Franciscan and earned his master's degree in theology from Washington Theological Union in Washington, D.C. Ellis will reflect on Faithful Citizenship, a call to political responsibility, in light of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' advocacy for the EPA's proposed Clean Power Plan. Ellis grew up on a farm in Minnesota and received a bachelor's degree from Gustavus Adolphus College, St. Peter, Minnesota.

CSB Campus Ministry, CSB Sustainability Office, the CSB and SJU Environmental Studies Department, CSB Koch Chair in Catholic Thought and Culture and the CSB and SJU Peace Studies Department are partnering with the Order of Saint Benedict World Justice/New Jubilee and the Catholic Covenant group to host this free event.  For more information, contact Judy Purman at 320-363-5391.