Petryshyn N. Interpretations of Environmental Issues in Contemporary Catholicism: Philosophical and Religious Analysis

The thesis is devoted to research environmental issues in Catholicism, philosophical and religious analysis of which revealed features of understanding the nature, causes and solutions to environmental problems in the social doctrine of the Catholic Church. The thesis discloses the essence of ecological teaching of the Catholic Church, indicates the peculiarities of its interpretation of the relationship of environmental issues and the impact of human activity on nature. Environmental sphere of human life is interpreted by Catholic theologians in the context of the existence of nature, which is understood by them as a gift of the Creator to the community people for responsible and sustainable use. The social doctrine in modern Catholicism is directed to the formation of a high level of ecological culture of the person making the system of ecological values and determination of their place in the structure of Christian moral values. The Catholic Church justifies the need for ecological conversion, harmonization of human interaction with nature in the light of Christian values, economical use of resources and energy, formation of environmental responsibility of scientists in the economic, political, scientific, technical and medical fields. The author reveals the importance of bioethical aspects of modern Catholic social teaching as a system of moral norms and rules that regulate the introduction of scientific achievements of genetics, biology, biochemistry, biophysics on the principles of respect for human dignity as God's creation.