The Roman Catholic bishop for the region around Alberta's massive oilsands projects is questioning the "moral legitimacy" of their rapid development, saying the destructive effect on the environment is against God's plan for the earth.

In a pastoral letter posted to the website of the Diocese of St. Paul, Bishop Luc Bouchard says the earth is a gift that, undamaged, allows people to sense God's existence.

"Therefore, even great financial gain does not justify serious harm to the environment," he writes.

Oilsands developments threaten the natural order on an overwhelming scale, Bouchard says.

Surface mining of oilsands destroys large tracts of boreal forest, pollutes water and will soon contribute far more carbon dioxide to the environment than all of Canada's passenger cars combined, he says.

"Any one of the above destructive effects provokes moral concern, but it is when the damaging effects are all added together that the moral legitimacy of oilsands production is challenged," states the letter.

While efforts may be made to reduce these environmental effects, simply trying doesn't cut it, Bouchard continues.

"The moral problem does not lie in government and industry's lack of a sincere desire to find a solution; the moral problem lies in their racing ahead and aggressively expanding the oilsands industry despite the fact that serious environmental problems remain unsolved after more than 40 years of on-going research," the letter says.

"The moral question has been left to market forces and self-regulation to resolve, when what is urgently required is moral vision and leadership."

Church stance on environmental protection not new

The first step, Bouchard suggests, is stopping further development until real solutions can be found.

Such solutions need to include safeguarding the Athabasca watershed, putting limits on the size of tailings ponds that contain oilsands waste and drafting a plan to protect the region's forests.

The federal government also needs to kick in support by meeting Canada's international greenhouse gas commitments, setting up a plan to get people to conserve fuel and developing alternative energy approaches.

Finally, people need to be protected, including First Nations who hunt and fish in the region and those in the area who lack social programs and infrastructure.

He encourages people to contact their provincial and federal politicians, saying that until now, concerns have been received "politely" but have not been considered realistically.

"I believe public opinion on environmental issues is rapidly changing ... Government and industry will be forced to recognize that oilsands development should not proceed until the environment can be adequately protected," the letter says.

Bouchard says he's not criticizing the people of Fort McMurray who work in the oilsands but rather oil company executives, government leaders and "the general public whose excessive consumerist lifestyle drives the demand for oil."

The Catholic church's stance on protecting the environment is nothing new.

Bouchard quotes Pope Benedict's 2007 statement that "disregard for the environment always harms human co-existence and vice versa."

Bouchard says he's only echoing over 40 pastoral letters written around the world addressing "the deteriorating quality of the world's air, water, climate and food."

Bouchard, whose diocese serves nearly 55,000 Catholics, has also written pastoral letters on a number of other political issues, including legalized gambling in the province.