Established in June 2021, the Office of Religious Congregations for Integral Ecology (ORCIE) has enhanced the capacity of over two dozen Catholic religious congregations to collaboratively increase their impact on policy change towards social and ecological justice at the level of the Canadian federal government, at international levels and before large corporate business entities.
ORCIE-BCRÉI is comprised of religious orders from across Canada who have, over the last century, developed hospitals, furthered education, built community organizations, and cared for the most vulnerable in society.
Today ORCIE-BCRÉI focuses on climate change, not only because it is a defining issue of our time, but because it interacts with multiple other critical issues such as Indigenous rights, biodiversity loss, food insecurity, migration, and health, among others. We take a systemic approach, advocating for “integral ecology,” that is, policy changes that can contribute to relationships of solidarity with people and the planet.
‘Everything is closely interrelated, and today’s problems call for a vision capable of taking into account every aspect of the global crisis.’ Pope Francis, Laudato Si, 15
Our vision
ORCIE-BCRÉI convenes its members to help shape policy making priorities. Weaving together energies inspired by the charisms of our religious congregations, we will advocate in Canada for a more just and inclusive social order and ecologically sustainable world.
Our mission
ORCIE-BCRÉI skillfully engages with policymakers creating maximum impact for change. We enhance the capacity of Catholic religious congregations to collaboratively increase their impact on policy change towards social and ecological justice at the level of the Canadian federal government, at international levels and when possible, before large corporate business entities.
In Coalition
ORCIE-BCRÉI focuses intensively, with allies and in coalition, on national level systemic change. Among the organizations we work closely with are Climate Action Network-Réseau action climat and KAIROS, and organizations we are learning from includes Indigenous Climate Action and Migrant Rights Network.
