Eco-Spirituality in Light of the Sensus Fidelium? The Universal Destination of Goods and Catholic Social Teaching from an Eco-Theological Standpoint

The principle of the universal destination of goods remains anthropocentric and therefore insufficient to protect the whole of creation. Bringing Thomas Berry’s eco-spirituality into dialogue with the sensus fidelium and John Henry Newman’s account of doctrinal development offers a way to extend the principle to the entire Earth community. Using Gadamer’s fusion of horizons as a hermeneutical framework and the Circle Method as a practical theological approach, it examines Brazil’s 2025 Fraternity Campaign (Campanha da Fraternidade) as an ecclesial space in which an ecological sensus fidelium may emerge. The lived faith of communities affected by ecological degradation can contribute to the development of Catholic Social Teaching without rupturing tradition, offering a more adequate ethical response to the ecological crisis.