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Pope Benedict XVI was deemed the “Green Pope” and it appears his successor, Pope Francis, has a green streak as well. Francis’s highly anticipated encyclical, released June 18, focuses on the controversial topic of climate change.
The encyclical, entitled “Laudato si” or “Praise Be to You”, is 184 pages in length and emphasizes the Pope’s view that humans must protect the Earth, rather than destroy it. Notably, Francis said he wishes not to target solely Catholics with his message, but all people.
“Now, faced as we are with global environmental deterioration, I wish to address every person living on this planet,” Francis wrote.
Francis used descriptive and powerful language to describe how humanity has damaged the Earth and now must take action to preserve the environment. He described the climate as a “common good” that belongs to all people.
The Pope noted that those most hurt by climate change tend to be the impoverished in developing countries. Many of these poor areas do not have the resources to adapt to the changes in the environment, which creates suffering. Yet this suffering often goes unnoticed by those who are better off, but Francis reminds that all humans have a responsibility to one another.
“Our lack of response to these tragedies involving our brothers and sisters points to the loss of that sense of responsibility for our fellow men and women upon which all civil society is founded,” Francis wrote.
While the pontiff recognized that some of the world’s climate change can be attributed to natural events like volcanic eruptions, he emphasized that there is substantial scientific evidence that demonstrates that human activity is a key culprit of global warming. Specifically, Francis highlighted the burning of fossil fuels as detrimental to the environment, as this activity releases harmful greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
If we are to see a real difference made in the environment, the Pope believes large-scale changes are necessary. The encyclical called for changes in “lifestyles, models of production and consumption, and the established structures of power which today govern societies”.
The Pope offered several recommendations on how to rectify this mistreatment of the Earth; citing recycling and the use of public transit as beneficial tactics. He also highlighted the need for policy reform.
Markedly, the Pope embraced the idea that climate change is happening and there is scientific evidence to provide backing. As noted by the New York Times, this acceptance of global warming puts several US politicians, like Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio, in a tough spot, because while they are Catholic, they have also been known to refute evidence that suggests humans are the cause of global warming.
These politicians will most likely have to make a choice to either split from the Catholic leader and continue their denial or potentially acknowledge human’s involvement in climate change as the Pontiff has.
Bush, a current contender for the Republican presidential nomination, has already commented on the Pope’s encyclical. In an interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity, Bush discussed the forthcoming document and Politico quoted Bush as saying, “I hope I’m not going to get castigated for saying this by my priest back home, but I don’t get economic policy from my bishops or my cardinals or my pope.”
Of course the Pope’s audience ranges much further than politicians. It will be interesting to see if the world’s 1 billion Catholics heed the Pope’s message to take a look at their lifestyle and make changes to protect the Earth they live on.
The views presented in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent the views of any other organization.
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The New Green Pope
June 26, 2015
Pope Benedict XVI was deemed the “Green Pope” and it appears his successor, Pope Francis, has a green streak as well. Francis’s highly anticipated encyclical, released June 18, focuses on the controversial topic of climate change.
The encyclical, entitled “Laudato si” or “Praise Be to You”, is 184 pages in length and emphasizes the Pope’s view that humans must protect the Earth, rather than destroy it. Notably, Francis said he wishes not to target solely Catholics with his message, but all people.
“Now, faced as we are with global environmental deterioration, I wish to address every person living on this planet,” Francis wrote.
Francis used descriptive and powerful language to describe how humanity has damaged the Earth and now must take action to preserve the environment. He described the climate as a “common good” that belongs to all people.
The Pope noted that those most hurt by climate change tend to be the impoverished in developing countries. Many of these poor areas do not have the resources to adapt to the changes in the environment, which creates suffering. Yet this suffering often goes unnoticed by those who are better off, but Francis reminds that all humans have a responsibility to one another.
“Our lack of response to these tragedies involving our brothers and sisters points to the loss of that sense of responsibility for our fellow men and women upon which all civil society is founded,” Francis wrote.
While the pontiff recognized that some of the world’s climate change can be attributed to natural events like volcanic eruptions, he emphasized that there is substantial scientific evidence that demonstrates that human activity is a key culprit of global warming. Specifically, Francis highlighted the burning of fossil fuels as detrimental to the environment, as this activity releases harmful greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
If we are to see a real difference made in the environment, the Pope believes large-scale changes are necessary. The encyclical called for changes in “lifestyles, models of production and consumption, and the established structures of power which today govern societies”.
The Pope offered several recommendations on how to rectify this mistreatment of the Earth; citing recycling and the use of public transit as beneficial tactics. He also highlighted the need for policy reform.
Markedly, the Pope embraced the idea that climate change is happening and there is scientific evidence to provide backing. As noted by the New York Times, this acceptance of global warming puts several US politicians, like Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio, in a tough spot, because while they are Catholic, they have also been known to refute evidence that suggests humans are the cause of global warming.
These politicians will most likely have to make a choice to either split from the Catholic leader and continue their denial or potentially acknowledge human’s involvement in climate change as the Pontiff has.
Bush, a current contender for the Republican presidential nomination, has already commented on the Pope’s encyclical. In an interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity, Bush discussed the forthcoming document and Politico quoted Bush as saying, “I hope I’m not going to get castigated for saying this by my priest back home, but I don’t get economic policy from my bishops or my cardinals or my pope.”
Of course the Pope’s audience ranges much further than politicians. It will be interesting to see if the world’s 1 billion Catholics heed the Pope’s message to take a look at their lifestyle and make changes to protect the Earth they live on.
The views presented in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent the views of any other organization.
