Bishop TJ Paprocki of Springfield, Il. is planning to sell a 44 acre Church-owned urban forest to Schnucks Markets for $4,000,000. Griffin Woods is 300 years old and home to scores of ancient oak trees, as well as a wide variety of animals & birds typically found in Mid-west woodlands. It's rare to find a gem of nature like this that is located near the central city and has survived urbanization. Schnucks plans to rip out the forest and replace it with an unneeded strip mall. There is already a strip mall across the street! All the trees, wildlife, birds, and wildflowers are to be bulldozed to their deaths.
The bishop is clearly acting in defiance of Pope Francis' recently issued Encyclical defining our moral responsibility to protect the environment from "unjustified destruction". 70% of Springfield's citizens are opposed to this offensive project, but have been brushed aside by powerful business and political interests. Pope Francis is a very busy man serving the needs of the world's 1 billion Catholics. It is highly unlikely that he will ever hear about the case of little Griffin Woods. The bishop is counting on that!
Despite the odds, there is still a chance that we can call the fate of Griffin Woods to the Pope's attention. That's because Francis is coming to visit America in September. If we can generate enough petition signers in the next few weeks, there's a possibility the Pope will ask his staff to look into our cause. We believe it is the perfect case to demonstrate the principles of his Encyclical and are appealing for your help. Thank you.
