“Listen to the sermon preached to you by the flowers, the trees, the shrubs, the sky, and the whole world. Notice how they preach to you a sermon full of love, of praise of God, and how they invite you to glorify the sublimity of that sovereign Artist who has given them being.”
St. Paul of the Cross
In November 2025, the Trump Administration proposed a set of rules intended to weaken the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
If finalized, the new rules would make it more difficult to ensure that an endangered species receives necessary protections, while making it easier to remove protections for species who are currently endangered or threatened. Automatic protections for threatened species would be eliminated, voluntary conservation incentives would be reduced, and the consultation process for establishing protections would be weakened.
These changes threaten the very existence of creatures made by our good and gracious God.
Please join us in submitting a public comment to urge greater protection for God’s most vulnerable creatures, not less.
The public comment period will be open through December 22, 2025. A sample comment is below.
Sample comment:
As an American Catholic and member of the Passionist Community of Holy Cross Province, I affirm that the health and well-being of human life on God’s Earth depends upon the wide variety and great richness of plant and animal life that God has provided. Our sacred Scriptures are filled with messages about taking good care of Creation. They remind us that we have a moral mandate to be stewards of God’s Earth.
Using Scripture and the teachings of the Catholic Church as my guide, I write in support of the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Just as Noah safeguarded all of God’s creatures from extinction, the Endangered Species Act has been instrumental in saving species from disappearing.
The ESA, signed into law by President Nixon, recognizes that providing for living creatures requires the protection of their homes and habitats. This bedrock environmental law has proven time and time again to be an effective tool to prevent the extinction of species, saving 99 percent of listed species. Through habitat protection and early intervention, the ESA helps species regain a foothold on life and ultimately flourish.
Even in the face of well-documented success, the ESA faces repeated attempts to undermine it. We urge the Administration and Members of Congress to uphold this treasured law and the scientific principles and process which guide its implementation. To ensure that we are living out our stewardship mandate, the decision of which species should be added to the list must continue to be based on sound science and clear procedure.
Regardless of what community one calls home, we must all recognize that maintaining the abundance of God’s creation is crucial to our own survival and our relationship with both God and one another.
I ask you to oppose any efforts to undermine the Endangered Species Act and to work to protect God’s threatened and endangered creation.
