As of the writing of this post, Pope Francis' encyclical 'Laudato Si' had just recently come out. It is the Pope's first encyclical that he fully prepared himself (his first official encyclical was Lumen Fidei, but this was prepared mostly by Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI before he retired). An encyclical, as Catholic Apologist Jimmy Akin described it, is 'a teaching document issued by the pope. Encyclicals are among the more solemn and thus more authoritative papal documents.' In other words, an encyclical is important and should be taken seriously.
This particular encyclical focuses 'on care for our common home', the Earth. What are we doing that is damaging our planetary ecosystem? What needs to happen in order to change this and start caring more for nature? It is these types of questions that Pope Francis seeks to answer.
If you have not read it yet then please do so. It focuses on an issue that is seldom addressed at all in the public square, much less in the Church.
There is a lot that could be discussed from this encyclical, but I am only going to address 5 points that I picked up on when I read 'Laudato Si''. These are not the only important takeaways, and they are not even the most important takeaways, but they are important enough to be discussed.
1. IT IS ADDRESSED TO EVERYBODY
When an encyclical is written it is addressed to a particular body of people. Sometimes that body of people consists of the bishops, other times it is the clergy, sometimes to the laity, etc. That is not to say that those outside that group cannot read it or learn something from it. It simply means that the Pope wrote that encyclical with the intention of focusing on and reaching out to that them for one reason or another. For example, the previous encyclical put out by Pope Francis, 'Lumen Fidei', was addressed to 'the bishops, priests, and deacons, consecrated persons, and the lay faithful' (Lumen Fidei).
'Laudato Si'' is the first encyclical in history to address every single person on the planet. This is made obvious by the lack of an address made at the very beginning of the encyclical as well as by the language used throughout.
This might not seem like a big deal, but it is actually the first clue that we are given of Pope Francis' goal of the encyclical. He is telling us not that this is something that merely the Bishops and priests focus on or even that Catholics in general should focus on; he is saying that this is something that the entire human population needs to be concerned about. Whether you are Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Muslim, Agnostic, Atheist, that is irrelevant for Pope Francis' point. This makes perfect sense because what he argues we need most of all right now in order to protect the environment is "a new dialogue about how we are shaping the future of our planet. We need a conversation which includes everyone, since the environmental challenge we are undergoing, and its human roots, concern and affect us all" (Laudato Si, 14). All the technological innovations in the world, he says, are not enough when there is a " lack of interest", or a "nonchalant resignation or blind confidence in technical solutions" (14).
An interest must be developed, which can only come about through constant dialogue and discussion over the issue of care for our planet. And such a discussion can only be effective in curing the damages we have committed to the environment if everybody participates in it, since "all of us can cooperate as instruments of God for the care of creation, each according to his or her own culture, experience, involvements and talents" (14).
2. MINCING WORDS IS NOT HELPFUL
The very first sentence in this encyclical that took me aback simply because of the way it was phrased was when Pope Francis, in talking about pollution and waste, said, "The earth, our home, is beginning to look more and more like an immense pile of filth" (21).
That is how you make it personal and then display the truth of a horrible situation all in one sentence.
The language used throughout the encyclical reveals what Pope Francis has become known for: being blunt and not holding back the truth. Of course he always couples it with love for his neighbor and for God, but he clearly knows that all true love requires both care and truth, not one or the other. And especially when it comes to the damage that we human beings have done to the earth, it is apparent that Pope Francis finds it more helpful to call it as it is then to attempt to dress it up in political correctness and niceties. And he is right. Bluntness in this situation can help open peoples eyes to problems within society and themselves that they may otherwise not come to see.
That is why Pope Francis calls out those "who possess more resources and economic or political power [who] seem mostly to be concerned with masking the problems or concealing the symptoms, simply making efforts to reduce some of the negative impacts of climate change" (26). It is also why he laments that it is "because of us [that] thousands of species will no longer give glory to God by their very existence, nor convey their message to us" due to their extinction (33).
Pope Francis recognizes the seriousness of our relationship, or lack thereof, with nature and seeks to make others aware of it. A problem cannot be fixed if the people who are supposed to be fixing it are not aware that a problem exists in the first place.
Speaking of relationships...
3. RELATIONSHIP IS KEY
Pope Francis has pointed out on numerous occasions that a relationship is necessary for a respect for nature to develop. Obviously a relationship between man and nature is necessary for man to care for nature at all, but we must not have merely a relationship with nature in order to protect it. "...human life is grounded in three fundamental and closely intertwined relationships: with God, with our neighbor and with the Earth itself" (66). (sidenote: Pope Francis is well aware that not everybody believes in the existence of God. But he discusses God and Scripture at great length in chapter 2 so as to bridge the supposed divide that some people think exists between science and religion, as well as to remind Christians of what should be important to us)
If, as Pope Francis says, our relationship with God is broken, as it was from the Fall, then that naturally (pun unintended) affects our relationship with other people and with nature, for God created both humanity and nature; humans are a part of nature as every other living thing is.
That is why even in a discussion about caring for the earth Pope Francis continuously brings up the necessity to care for the poor and others who are downtrodden (52). Having dominion over the earth means respecting all things that have life, including all plants and animals, and attributing to them the worth that any God-given thing must by definition have (67). But that also entails caring for those in our own race that live in conditions that they should not be living in, for "the earth is essentially a shared inheritance, whose fruits are meant to benefit everyone. For believers, this becomes a question of fidelity to the Creator, since God created the world for everyone. Hence every ecological approach needs to incorporate a social perspective which takes into account the fundamental rights of the poor and the underprivileged" (93).
4. THE ROLE OF BUSINESSES
Pope Francis brings up an aspect of the role of business with the environment that I, a store manager, related to strongly. And that is the importance of labor.
"We were created with a vocation to work," he says. "Work is a necessity, part of the meaning of life on this earth, a path to growth, human development and personal fulfilment. Helping the poor financially must always be a provisional solution in the face of pressing needs" (128).
Pope Francis then goes on to say that "business is a noble vocation, directed to producing wealth and improving our world. It can be a fruitful source of prosperity for the areas in which it operates, especially if it sees the creation of jobs as an essential part of its service to the common good" (129). Making sure that those in our society have a job is a must for everybody who has a calling to work in business management. It is one of the major ways that we can contribute both to the environment and to other people simultaneously. Remember that helping people, who are by definition part of the environment (128), is helping to cultivate the environment, and that is especially the case, but not limited to, when the work is geared towards helping others or lessening the harm done to the planet.
5. THE NEED FOR DRASTIC CHANGE
Many encyclicals that focus on an issue or bring up a pervasive problem in our world today oftentimes come up with practical solutions that can and should be done in order to eliminate said problem. This is necessary and needed. However, Pope Francis, while scattering various practical methods here and there to address environmental concerns, offers a significantly more difficult and drastic solution: the need for radical and deeply-rooted change within the individual, the town, the city, the nation, and the world on how it thinks, teaches, interacts with, and discusses our environmental home.
"Many things have to change course," he starts, "but it is we human beings above all who need to change. We lack an awareness of our common origin, of our mutual belonging, and of a future to be shared with everyone. This basic awareness would enable the development of new convictions, attitudes and forms of life. A great cultural, spiritual and educational challenge stands before us, and it will demand that we set out on the long path of renewal" (202).
Pope Francis acknowledges that the environmental problems we currently have cannot be solved with some fundraising and a few social actions; the source of the problem is deeply rooted in the sinful nature of man. Because man betrayed God we weakened our relationship with Him and by virtue of that we weakened our relationship with each other and with nature (66). Thus the problem is so deeply ingrained into us that any process that would seek to remedy it will be, at best, a long and arduous journey.
But this does not weigh down Pope Francis' hopes, and it should not weigh ours down, either. "All is not lost" after all (205). "Human beings, while capable of the worst, are also capable of rising above themselves, choosing again what is good, and making a new start, despite their mental and social conditioning. We are able to take an honest look at ourselves, to acknowledge our deep dissatisfaction, and to embark on new paths to authentic freedom. No system can completely suppress our openness to what is good, true and beautiful, or our God-given ability to respond to his grace at work deep in our hearts" (205).
A 'universal awareness' (207) that does not yet exist needs to develop in the hearts and minds of every person and every society. Without that, protection of the environment will be impossible. But such an awareness can be attained, for all things are possible with the grace of God. and God will give His grace through education (210), a change in habits (209), an 'ecological conversion' (217) and a 'deep enjoyment free of the obsession of consumption' (222), to name a few.
I end this by reiterating that it does not matter what your faith is in regards to this responsibility. We all live here, along with other creatures and plants that inhabit this earth. It does not make sense to destroy the home that provides us with what we need to live and thrive. Whether you believe in God or not, we all have a stake in protecting and caring for our home; this is made evident through common sense reasoning as well as through deep and thoughtful reflection.
And it is all the more important for those who know of the God that created us and this planet that we care for it and take responsibility for it. God has given this place over to us. Instead of doing what we have been doing we must change our very hearts and minds completely toward God's will. By doing so each and every day we will slowly but surely be changed and renewed in our very being by His grace. And when we, the source of most of nature's woes, sustain such a change then the same change will occur throughout the whole world.
"A prayer for our earth
All-powerful God, you are present in the whole universe
and in the smallest of your creatures.
You embrace with your tenderness all that exists.
Pour out upon us the power of your love,
that we may protect life and beauty.
Fill us with peace, that we may live
as brothers and sisters, harming no one.
O God of the poor,
help us to rescue the abandoned and forgotten of this earth,
so precious in your eyes.
Bring healing to our lives,
that we may protect the world and not prey on it,
that we may sow beauty, not pollution and destruction.
Touch the hearts
of those who look only for gain
at the expense of the poor and the earth.
Teach us to discover the worth of each thing,
to be filled with awe and contemplation,
to recognize that we are profoundly united
with every creature
as we journey towards your infinite light.
We thank you for being with us each day.
Encourage us, we pray, in our struggle
for justice, love and peace" (246).
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