The Episcopal Conference of Catholic Bishops in the Pacific, CEPAC, has issued a statement which urges caution on deep sea mining in Pacific waters.
“Today commercial deep sea mining in our region appears increasingly imminent,” says the August 10 statement. “Large areas of the Pacific seabed including waters surrounding American Samoa and areas near the Marianas Trench National Monument, are now being considered or commercial leasing…33 million acres in the waters surrounding American Samoa are about to be offered for commercial lease. Recently, the area has increased to 70 million acres near the Marianas Trench Marine National Monument”.
The bishops said it’s their responsibility as pastors to proclaim the Gospel and illuminate these questions in the light of the church’s social teaching. “The resources of creation are entrusted not only to our generation but also to those who will come after us. History teaches us that when science remains uncertain about the consequences of actions that may cause serious or irreversible harm, wisdom calls us to proceed with humility, prudence and prayerful discernment”.
According to the statement the deep ocean remains one of the least understood ecosystems on Earth. “Scientists acknowledge that much about its diversity , its ecological relationships and its long term resilience is still unknown. Decisions taken today may therefore have consequences that cannot be easily reversed For this reason, the Church urges caution. When there exists a genuine possibility of serious or irreversible harm, the absence of complete scientific certainty should never become an excuse for proceeding without due care”.
The church leaders also point out that the sea, the islands , the coral reefs and even the hidden depths of the ocean proclaim the glory of their creator. ” They are part of the inheritance that God has entrusted to our care”.
For this reason they respectfully encourage all who bear responsibility for decisions concerning deep sea mining to proceed “with wisdom, transparency . humility and genuine concern for the common good.
They urged that until there is convincing evidence that such activity can be undertaken without causing serious or irreversible harm, “prudence calls us to exercise great caution. May our generation be remembered not for what it extracted from creation, but for what it protected.”
The statement was signed by the President of CEPAC, Most Rev Ryan Jiminez, the Archbishop of Guam.
The leader of the local Catholic Diocese, Bishop Kolio Tumanuvao said, “As people of Tutuila and Manu’a we have a special responsibility to listen to the voices of our communities, especially those whose lives and livelihoods are closely connected to the sea. We encourage informed dialogue, transparency, scientific research and genuine consultation before decisions are made that could have irreversible consequences for our ocean. May the Holy Spirit, guide our leaders, our communities and those entrusted with decisions concerning the future of our beloved American Samoa and the Pacific Ocean”.
