The Church’s social teaching on stewardship of creation is focused on the goods of the earth as gifts from God and how God intends them for the benefit of everyone. The Church teaches that there is a "social mortgage" that guides our use of the world's goods, and that we have a responsibility to care for these goods as stewards and trustees, not as mere consumers and users. How we treat the environment is a measure of our stewardship, a sign of our respect for the Creator.
God destined the earth and all it contains for all people and nations so that all created things would be shared fairly by all humankind under the guidance of justice tempered by charity. The Church in the Modern World, #69
All other rights, whatever they are, including property rights and the right of free trade must be subordinated to this norm; they must not hinder it, but must rather expedite its application. It must be considered a serious and urgent social obligation to refer these rights to their original purpose.
The most profound motive for our work is this knowing that we share in creation. Learning the meaning of creation in our daily lives will help us to live holier lives. It will fill the world with the spirit of Christ, the spirit of justice, charity, and peace. On Human Work #25
The basis of the stewardship tradition is to be found in Genesis 2:15 where God establishes man and woman in the garden and tells them to “cultivate and take care of it”. The implication is that human beings are called into a relationship with God and are called to care for creation. In Biblical times a steward was someone whose task it was to take care of another person’s property. They were caretakers or custodians.