Editorial

A Game-Changing Encyclical

Posted

Pope Francis’ sweeping encyclical on ecology is a blockbuster document that should jolt all of us—whether Catholic or not—into taking responsibility for our common home: the earth that we inhabit.

Addressing “every person living on this planet,” the pope used strong words to decry a rapidly deteriorating environment, the dire consequences of climate change, the “compulsive consumerism” of wealthy countries, and the profit-driven motivations behind all of it.

He called on those who believe in God, and all people of good will, to address this crisis without delay, tying his message to the Christian tradition that all of creation “is related.” The biblical allusion to man’s dominion over earth is not permission to exploit the planet, he wrote, but a call for humankind to protect it.

And despite concerns of some in the pro-life community that an encyclical on the environment could be used by population control advocates for their own purposes, the pope was crystal clear that so-called overpopulation is not a factor in the ecological crisis. He emphasized that protection of human life, including protection of human embryos, is a key element in safeguarding life on earth, and said the ecological movement is “incompatible with the justification of abortion.”

In the week since its official release, the widely anticipated encyclical, called Laudato Si’ (Praise be to you), has been written about, talked about, and will undoubtedly be preached about more and more. Those who tend to resist measures aimed at protecting the environment—either denying such measures are needed or opposing them for political or financial reasons—have criticized the document and the pope himself for weighing in on something he allegedly is not qualified to do.

Those who favor environmental protection and controls, which generally involve governmental regulation of some kind, were effusive in their applause and praise. Indeed, a New York Times online article about the encyclical drew one commenter who said simply, “I want to be Catholic.”

The fact is, for all the strong reaction to Laudato Si’, the encyclical is not the first papal statement on ecology in modern times. Pope Benedict XVI, in particular, and St. John Paul II also wrote and spoke on the need to protect the earth’s resources.

Building on his predecessors’ themes, Pope Francis goes further and is substantially more blunt, stating, “The earth, our home, is beginning to look more and more like an immense pile of filth.”

Among his points, he said depleted natural resources around the world have disrupted the delicate ecosystems of poor countries—leaving behind only problems and pollution. He blamed excessive use of fossil fuels for climate change, which he said is mainly caused by human activity and is “one of the principal challenges facing humanity in our day.” He talked a lot about water quality, and the dangers to clean water supplies, especially in poor areas of the world, and he warned of catastrophic consequences unless exploitation of the environment is swiftly curbed.

To make that happen, he called on governments and global economic leaders to radically reorder their policies and priorities, including the way they define progress and development, and he encouraged individuals to take measures large and small to protect the environment.

The pope offered some bold prescriptions, including the possibility of accepting decreased growth in some parts of the world in order to provide resources “for other places to experience healthy growth,” and suggestions as simple as turning off the lights when you leave the room.

With its release, the encyclical’s themes are now in the mix in advance of the United Nations Climate Change Conference in December in Paris.

Whether the encyclical becomes part of the on-the-record discussions at that conference, or whether it will more subtly influence the agenda, we can’t say. But we can say that the pope’s prestige and popularity around the world—and the fact that he has no political or financial stake in the issue—make his positions compelling.

We certainly believe the pope’s positions are compelling.

We believe too that this encyclical could have an impact as lasting as Pope Leo XIII’s 1891 Rerum Novarum, which addressed the condition of the working class after the Industrial Revolution and effectively outlined Catholic social teaching for a modern world, and St. John XXIII’s 1963 Pacem in Terris, known as the “peace encyclical,” which called for international conflicts to be resolved by negotiations rather than war and challenged nuclear proliferation.

In other words, Laudato Si’ may very well be a game-changer—for the Church and for the world.