A Calgary minister says his group is visiting Alberta’s oilsands not to pass judgment, but to get a better understanding of the project.

“It’s a more complex thing than just saying ‘This is good, this is bad,’” says former United Church of Canada moderator Bill Phipps, one of 10 Canadian church leaders who will visit Edmonton, Fort McMurray and Fort Chipewyan this month. “It’s a very complex issue, and I think we have to treat it that way.”

The group, organized by Canadian ecumenical group KAIROS, plans “to explore the theological, social and ethical implications of fossil fuel extraction in the Athabasca tarsands,” as well as the impacts on workers and aboriginal communities. “For all kinds of faith communities all over the world, climate change is at the front of the agenda,” says Phipps.