LINCOLN PARK — Climate change dates back to the 17th century and played a role in establishing the religious group that went on to found DePaul University, according to researchers.
DePaul University is set to host a free lecture on the topic Monday.
Historian Geoffrey Parker will be at the Lincoln Park campus to deliver the annual Vincent de Paul lecture during Earth Week.
Parker's research examined the role of long, harsh winters and cool, wet summers on populations worldwide in the 17th century and found evidence that the changing weather patterns caused political upheaval.
During that same century, St. Vincent de Paul began to lead an order of priests, the Congregation of the Mission, that would eventually found the Chicago school.
“The 17th century was Vincent’s century, and the epic religious, geo-political and other struggles that he experienced in France, and to which he and his followers responded, can now be understood within the context of climate change,” said the Rev. Edward Udovic, a historian and university secretary at DePaul.
Parker's discussion on the social, economic and political struggles caused by extreme weather patterns in the 17th century will be held from 6-8 p.m. Monday at 2400 N. Sheffield Ave.
Attendees must register in advance online at this link.
The lecture is hosted by the school's Office of Missions and Values and will be followed by a panel discussion with climate change experts.
The Catholic church, under Pope Francis, has put emphasis on environmental issues: The Vatican is hosting a major conference on climate change on April 28 and the pope is expected to release the first papal encyclical on ecology this year.
“We know that climate change affects poor people disproportionately, and this is a deep Vincentian concern,” said Scott Kelley, assistance vice president of DePaul's Office of Mission and Values. “At DePaul, our sustainability focus is on how we can use research, our curriculum and community engagement to address these issues.”
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