Cathal BarryPope Francis’ encyclical on the environment is a stinging critique of humanity’s treatment of the environment, writes Cathal Barry
Tipping his zucchetto to his namesake St Francis of Assisi, Pope Francis begins his widely anticipated encyclical on the environment criticising “the harm we have inflicted” on the Earth “by our irresponsible use and abuse” of God-given goods.
Laudato Si (Praised Be To You) is Francis’ second encyclical since taking office, the first entirely by his own pen. Divided into six chapters, the document takes its name from a prayer by St Francis of Assisi, the 13th-century Italian saint known for his love of nature.
Addressed to “every person living on this planet”, the document serves as a stinging critique of humanity’s treatment of the environment, urgently calling for action.
Stating that the Earth is “among the most abandoned and maltreated” of the poor, Pope Francis claims the “violence present in our hearts” is “reflected in the “symptoms of sickness” evident in the soil, water, air and all forms of life.
The Pope warns early on in his encyclical that the destruction of the environment is “extremely serious” not only because God has “entrusted the world” to humanity, but because “human life is itself a gift which must be defended from various forms of debasement”.
“Authentic human development has a moral character. It presumes full respect for the human person, but it must also be concerned for the world around us,” he says.
“If we approach nature and the environment without this openness to awe and wonder, if we no longer speak the language of fraternity and beauty in our relationship with the world, our attitude will be that of masters, consumers, ruthless exploiters, unable to set limits on their immediate needs.”
The Pope sets out an “urgent challenge” to protect the environment from any further destruction, calling on society to work together “to seek a sustainable and integral development, for we know that things can change”.
Appeal
“I urgently appeal, then, for 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,” he says.
Although each chapter of Laudato Si has its own subject and specific approach, it also takes up and re-examines important questions previously dealt with. For example, Pope Francis points to;
- the intimate relationship between the poor and the fragility of the planet;
- the conviction that everything in the world is connected;
- the critique of new paradigms and forms of power derived from technology;
- the call to seek other ways of understanding the economy and progress;
- the value proper to each creature;
- the human meaning of ecology;
- the need for forthright and honest debate;
- the serious responsibility of international and local policy;
- the throwaway culture;
- the proposal of a new lifestyle.
In chapter one, Pope Francis addresses what is happening in what he describes as “our common home”.
Noting that the acceleration of changes affecting humanity and the planet coupled with a more intensified pace of life and work are at odds with the naturally slow pace of biological evolution, the Pope recognises that “the goals of this rapid and constant change are not necessarily geared to the common good or to integral and sustainable human development”.
“Change is something desirable, yet it becomes a source of anxiety when it causes harm to the world and to the quality of life of much of humanity,” he says.
Pollution
Tackling the issue of pollution in his characteristically down-to-earth-style, Pope Francis laments the fact that the Earth “is beginning to look more and more like an immense pile of filth”. “In many parts of the planet, the elderly lament that once beautiful landscapes are now covered with rubbish,” he says.
The Pope goes on to address issues such as climate change, water, biodiversity, quality of life, societal breakdown and global inequality, before remarking on “how weak international political responses have been”.
“The problem is that we still lack the culture needed to confront this crisis. We lack leadership capable of striking out on new paths and meeting the needs of the present with concern for all and without prejudice towards coming generations,” he says.
In chapter two, Pope Francis delves into the Bible in an attempt to face the problems illustrated in the previous chapter.
Here, Francis expresses what he believes to be the “tremendous responsibility” of humankind for creation, the intimate connection among all creatures and the fact that “the natural environment is a collective good, the patrimony of all humanity and the responsibility of everyone”.
“We are not God. The Earth was here before us and it has been given to us,” the Pope says.
Referencing Genesis 2:15, the Pope states that human beings have a responsibility to “till and keep” the garden of the world, knowing that the “ultimate purpose of other creatures is not to be found in us”. “Rather,” he says, “all creatures are moving forward, with us and through us, towards a common point of arrival, which is God”.
While Francis is clear that every “act of cruelty” towards any creature is “contrary to human dignity”, he points out that “a sense of deep communion with the rest of nature cannot be real if our hearts lack tenderness, compassion and concern for our fellow human beings”.
What is needed, according to the Pope, is the awareness of a universal communion: “All of us are linked by unseen bonds and together form a kind of universal family, a sublime communion which fills us with a sacred, affectionate and humble respect,” he says.
The root of the problems in technocracy and in an excessive self-centeredness of the human being are analysed in chapter three.
“It would hardly be helpful to describe symptoms without acknowledging the human origins of the ecological crisis. A certain way of understanding human life and activity has gone awry, to the serious detriment of the world around us,” Pope Francis writes bluntly.
One issue Pope Francis singles out in this section is the need to protect employment. The Pope states that “any approach to an integral ecology, which by definition does not exclude human beings, needs to take account of the value of labour” because to “stop investing in people, in order to gain greater short-term financial gain, is bad business for society”.
Francis also laments the fact that while some ecological movements defend the integrity of the environment, “they sometimes fail to apply those same principles to human life”.
The Pope points out that there is “a tendency to justify transgressing all boundaries when experimentation is carried out on living human embryos”.
“We forget that the inalienable worth of a human being transcends his or her degree of development,” he says, adding that, in the same way, “when technology disregards the great ethical principles, it ends up considering any practice whatsoever as licit”.
Since “everything is closely interrelated and today’s problems call for a vision capable of taking into account every aspect of the global crisis”, Francis turns his attention in chapter four to some elements of an “integral ecology”, one which “respects its human and social dimensions”.
Here, the Pope claims that “nature cannot be regarded as something separate from ourselves or as a mere setting in which we live”.
“We are part of nature, included in it and thus in constant interaction with it,” he says.
Analysis
Francis is firm in his belief that “the analysis of environmental problems cannot be separated from the analysis of human, family, work-related and urban contexts, nor from how individuals relate to themselves”.
“We are faced not with two separate crises, one environmental and the other social, but rather with one complex crisis which is both social and environmental,” he says.
Having taken stock of the present situation, Francis suggests some lines of approach and action in chapter five, clearly wanting to initiate honest dialogue that builds transparent decision-making processes at every level of social, economic and political life.
Acknowledging that there are “certain environmental issues where it is not easy to achieve a broad consensus” and that the Church “does not presume to settle scientific questions or to replace politics”, the Pope is “concerned to encourage an honest and open debate so that particular interests or ideologies will not prejudice the common good”.
Appeals
Pope Francis strongly appeals to politicians to be “courageous” and “attest to their God-given dignity and leave behind a testimony of selfless responsibility”.
“A healthy politics is sorely needed, capable of reforming and coordinating institutions, promoting best practices and overcoming undue pressure and bureaucratic inertia,” he says.
Noting that it is human beings above all that have to change in the final chapter of this “lengthy reflection”, Pope Francis calls for an increased “awareness of our common origin, of our mutual belonging and of a future to be shared with everyone”.
The Pope is adamant that change in lifestyle “could bring healthy pressure to bear on those who wield political, economic and social power”. “This is what consumer movements accomplish by boycotting certain products,” Francis points out.
“They prove successful in changing the way businesses operate, forcing them to consider their environmental footprint and their patterns of production. When social pressure affects their earnings, businesses clearly have to find ways to produce differently,” he says.
Pope Francis also highlights the importance of environmental education in this chapter.
Noting that an integral ecology is made up of simple daily gestures which break with the logic of violence, exploitation and selfishness, the Pope offers some practical suggestions for people to follow such as;
- avoiding the use of plastic and paper;
- reducing water consumption;
- separating refuse;
- cooking only what can reasonably be consumed;
- showing care for other living beings;
- using public transport or car-pooling;
- planting trees;
- and turning off unnecessary lights.
“All of these reflect a generous and worthy creativity which brings out the best in human beings,” Francis says. “Reusing something instead of immediately discarding it, when done for the right reasons, can be an act of love which expresses our own dignity.”
“We must regain the conviction that we need one another,” the Pope says, “that we have a shared responsibility for others and the world and that being good and decent are worth it”.
Concluding, Pope Francis notes that it is God who “offers us the light and the strength” we need in our endeavours.
“In the heart of this world, the Lord of life, who loves us so much, is always present. He does not abandon us, he does not leave us alone, for he has united himself definitively to our Earth and his love constantly impels us to find new ways forward. Praise be to him,” he says.
Francis, in his own words
“The Earth, our home, is beginning to look more and more like an immense pile of filth. In many parts of the planet, the elderly lament that once beautiful landscapes are now covered with rubbish.”
“Never have we so hurt and mistreated our common home as we have in the last 200 years.”
“We are not God. The Earth was here before us and was given to us.”
“The ‘idea of infinite or unlimited growth’ is ‘based on the lie that there is an infinite supply of the earth’s goods’, and this leads to the planet being squeezed dry at every limit.”
“Human beings, while capable of the worst, are also capable of rising above themselves, choosing again what is good, and making a new start.”
“The exploitation of the planet has already exceeded acceptable limits and we still have not solved the problem of poverty.”
“Doomsday predictions can no longer be met with irony or disdain. We may well be leaving to coming generations debris, desolation and filth.”
“The climate is a common good, belonging to all and meant for all.”
“We need to strengthen the conviction that we are one single human family.”
“We must regain the conviction that we need one another, that we have a shared responsibility for others and the world, and that being good and decent are worth it.”
“We are not faced with two separate crises, one environmental and the other social, but rather one complex crisis which is both social and environmental.”
“There can be no renewal of our relationship with nature without a renewal of humanity itself.”
“It has become countercultural to choose a lifestyle whose goals are even partly independent of technology.”
“Nobody is suggesting a return to the stone age, but we do need to slow down and look at reality in a different way.”