Pope Francis wades into climate debate
Pope Francis made waves last week by wading into the public discourse on the current climate crisis. His statements come from his second encyclical, a document addressed to the entire Catholic Church and beyond, which was released by the Vatican on June 18. Titled Laudato Si, the encyclical was highly anticipated due to its focus on ecology, even spawning the hashtags #LaudatoSi and #PopeForPlanet.
In the 184-page text, Francis calls on all peoples to work together in taking substantial steps to care for the Earth and combat climate change. He draws attention to current concerns, such as biodiversity loss, pollution, and rising temperatures, writing that the planet “is beginning to look more and more like an immense pile of filth.” At the same time, Francis appealed for action on moral issues like poverty, water scarcity, global inequality, and unjust economic systems.
Noting the interrelatedness of these diverse topics, the pontiff proposed that many of these problems stem from a “throwaway culture” expressed in irrational consumerism, addiction to fossil fuels, blind faith in technology, and stark individualism.
The Pope castigated both obstructionist attitudes that deny scientific evidence, and resolutions that seek to control the population without changing the structural causes of the problems faced by the impoverished, writing that the proper response must hear “both the cry of the Earth and the cry of the poor.” Instead, Francis suggested an “integral ecology” which recognizes the connections both among peoples and between humanity and the natural world.
Francis stressed the need for people of all faith and backgrounds to work together in healing the Earth. In the document, subtitled Care for our Common Home, Francis wrote, “The urgent challenge to protect our common home includes a concern to bring the whole human family together to seek a sustainable and integral development, for we know that things can change.”
While previous pontiffs have espoused care for the Earth in their teachings, Francis is the first to emphasize the moral imperative to do so in such a public way. He is also the first to connect climate management to other issues, such as poverty and even income inequality and pro-life issues.
Francis’ environmental stance is not entirely unexpected. The title “Laudato Si” is lifted from St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of ecology, from whom the Pope at the time, Jorge Bergoglio, took his Papal name. The phrase is Latin for “be praised,” and comes from St. Francis’ Canticle of the Sun, which praises God through different aspects of nature, such as Sister Moon and Brother Fire.
Also in line with Francis’ style is his focus on the poor and marginalized. Since rising to the Papacy in 2013, Francis has made numerous headlines for his emphasis on tangible acts of charity and public advocacy for the less-fortunate.
Laudato Si is not without its detractors, however. Some politicians, notably from the U.S. Republican party, have taken issue with the religious leader’s comments on a scientific—and at times, political—subject. Even before the encyclical’s release, former Senator Rick Santorum, a Catholic himself, remarked that the Church was “better off leaving science to the scientists and focusing on what we’re good at, which is theology and morality.”
Senator James Inhofe, a noted climate change denier, took issue with Francis’ comments on the poor. Inhofe predicted that the encyclical will advance climate change legislation, but argued that “[the poor] will be the ones to carry the heaviest burden of such onerous policies.”
The real impact of the encyclical remains to be seen. In addition to challenging citizens to be more environment-conscious, Pope Francis also hopes the text will influence those involved in the U.N.’s 2015 Climate Change Conference in Paris later this year.