Many family and church friends would sacrifice a limb, as they say, for the well-being of their children or grandchildren. They are also prepared to give the shirts off their backs to help neighbors and fellow parishioners. I have been on the receiving end of this sort of kindness. And as a father, I relate to the power of this sort of parental instinct.

Many of these same people are regular recyclers and claim to care deeply about clean water. But here is the rub: Too many still choose to dismiss global reports and repercussions of a changing climate as simply due to natural cycles, and too many credit the latest studies on climate change as lies or exaggerations concocted by controlling political interests.

As with the general population, the tendency to ignore, minimize, or outright challenge the reality of climate change afflicts a segment of the U.S. Catholic Church. Fortunately, the Holy Spirit is on the move.