Pope Francis encourages religion and science to come together to battle overcome the negative effects of climate change. According to the Catholic leader's first encyclical, not all is lost and that people can still come out victorious despite the influences of metal and social conditioning.
The catholic encyclical or letter titled Laudato Si (Praise Be to You), is an authoritative church teaching that enumerates points and words of encouragement to the international business, scientific and political sectors with regards to the climate change issue enveloping the world right now. The letter released on Thursday, June 18, addresses people not only from the religious catholic circle, but to the entire world population as Pope Francis emphasizes that it is addressed to each and every individual living on Earth.
The topic on environment is apparently one of Pope Francis' main focus even before he was given the papal throne. St Francis of Assisi, to whom the pope derived his papal name, is the patron saint of the poor and of the environment. With this as the premise, Pope Francis' encyclical on climate change is a very powerful one.
Pope Francis included different sectors of the community in his encyclical. He starts by citing practical issues including how small-time workers such as farmers are constantly struggling with poverty. He goes into detail as he furthers his theological statement with discussion about urban planning, pollution management, as well as the most little details such as feeding plankton in the sea to preserve the ecosystem.
The problem is "aggravated," the Pope states, "by a model of development based on the intensive use of fossil fuels." The pope adds that if this continues, climate change will surely take its toll on poor lands, where there are inadequate physical and social resources to help them cope with the potential environmental damages associated with the changes.
Pope Francis also points out to the danger of advanced technology, saying that while it may provide a wide range of benefits, people may be placed on a grave risk of losing souls as they become blind to technology. Nonetheless, he clarified that no one is encouraging humanity to go back to the ancient times but it is necessary to slow down the pace and view reality in a different light.
"Here are certain environmental issues where it is not easy to achieve a broad consensus," he writes. "Here I would state once more that the Church does not presume to settle scientific questions or to replace politics. But I am concerned to encourage an honest and open debate so that particular interests or ideologies will not prejudice the common good."
Laudato Si is 184-page letter that was released on Thursday, June 18, 2015 in at least five languages. The encyclical took more than a year to complete and was based on works from scientists, scholars and theologians for different fields.
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