Contemplative Life amidst Mass Extinction: Catholic Revisions of Spirituality, Law, and Multispecies Justice
Journal of Contemplative Studies July 23, 2025 DOI: 10.57010/gnug2791 via DOAJ
Summary
Contemplative ecology—finding spiritual meaning in multispecies relationships—faces two potential injustices: it may prioritize personal spiritual fulfillment over political action to prevent extinctions, and extending justice to nonhuman creatures might undermine efforts to secure equal protection for human dignity. This essay examines how contemplative ecology can contribute to multispecies justice by analyzing Pope Francis's redefinition of human dominion in contemplative terms to address climate and extinction crises. The essay notes that this theological shift accompanies elevations of Indigenous governance rights and rights for nature, though neither is fully or consistently endorsed. These ambiguities illuminate questions about the role of contemplative practice in social and political transformations needed to repair relations with ecological systems.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Keywords | Multispecies justice Extinctions Indigenous Law Catholic |
| Key finding | Pope Francis's attempt to redefine human dominion in contemplative terms for addressing climate and extinction crises, alongside elevations of Indigenous governance rights and rights for nature, reveals ambiguities that illuminate overarching questions about the role of contemplative practice in ecological justice. |
Abstract
Contemplative ecologies seem to face two liabilities of injustice. First, they may appear to seek spiritual satisfaction in multispecies relations without connection to political work to protect them from extinction. Yet addressing that liability may compound the second: that in a time of radically unequal exposure to Anthropocene stresses, extending protections of justice to nonhuman creatures may further erode aspirations for equal protection of human dignity. This essay examines how Contemplative Ecology may matter for multispecies justice by following Pope Francis’s attempt to redefine human dominion in contemplative terms for the sake of response to climate and extinction crises. That theological shift is accompanied by elevations of Indigenous governance rights and of rights for nature, although neither is endorsed fully or consistently. Ambiguities in this case can illuminate overarching questions about the relation of contemplative practice to ecological justice. Specifically, examining the uncertainties and liabilities in this case can aid inquiry into the role of contemplative practices within social and political transformations needed to repair relations with ecological systems.