I
try not to get too religious or political here, since this is an
author's blog about nature and mythology, but this is too apropos to
ignore. If you want to read Pope Francis Encyclical on Ecology yourself, I'll
warn you, like all philosophical, theological, historical and
scientific writing there is a bit of staging and wordiness to it. [I
generally leave the seriously factual stuff to my husband and let my
inner teenager yawn. But I am forcing myself to digest this because I
really wanted to read first hand Pope Francis's view.]
I've
been impressed with Pope Francis's stances on many things so far,
from his statements about abortion, homosexuality and his year of the
family focus, I feel like this guy is hearing from the same God that
I do. [Always comforting.]
Defining
the problem -“see
ourselves as her lords and masters, entitled to plunder [Mother
Earth] at will.”
“The
violence present in our hearts, wounded by sin, is also reflected in
the symptoms of sickness evident in the soil, in the water, in the
air and in all forms of life.”
humans
frequently seem “to see no other meaning in their natural
environment than what serves for immediate use and consumption”.
The
misuse of creation begins when we no longer recognize any higher
instance than ourselves” - Pope Benedict
“replace
consumption with sacrifice, greed with generosity, wastefulness with
a spirit of sharing, an asceticism which “entails learning to give,
and not simply to give up. It is a way of loving, of moving gradually
away from what I want to what God’s world needs. It is liberation
from fear, greed and compulsion” - Patriarch Bartholomew
“underlying
the ecological problem is the lack of respect for life... the
interests of production prevail over concern for the dignity of
workers... economic interests take priority over the good of
individuals and even entire peoples... pollution or environmental
destruction is the result of an unnatural and reductionist vision...
leads to a genuine contempt for man.” Pope John Paul II
What
to do – [My
favorite part of any factual writing]
Individuals - “Modern
society will find no solution to the ecological problem unless it
takes a serious look at its life style.”
- “given to instant gratification and consumerism, indifferent to the damage which these cause.”
- “throwaway culture”
- reduce “smoke from fuels and heating”
- reduce “intensive use of fossil fuels”
- reduce “deforestation for agricultural purposes.”
reduce
“substances
which contribute to the acidification of soil and water,
fertilizers, insecticides, fungicides, herbicides and agrotoxins in
general.”- “most of the paper we produce is thrown away and not recycled”
- conserve water
Businesses
- reduce industrial fumes
- reduce waste, especially “non-biodegradable, highly toxic and radioactive, from homes and businesses, from construction and demolition sites, from clinical, electronic and industrial sources.”
- “careful studies...” “on biodiversity”
Educators,
Parents, churches (and other religious organizations) - “An
education in ecological responsibility is urgent: responsibility for
oneself, for others, and for the earth... cannot be rooted in mere
sentiment or empty wishes... cannot be ideological or political...
must not be based on a rejection of the modern world or a vague
desire to return to some "paradise lost"... responsibility
entails a genuine conversion in ways of thought and behaviour... The
first educator, however, is the family, where the child
learns to respect his neighbour and to love nature.”
“aesthetic
value of creation cannot be overlooked... nature has a deep
restorative power; contemplation of its magnificence imparts peace
and serenity...Even cities.. have a beauty... ought to motivate
people to care for their surroundings.”
“responsibility
within creation and their duty towards nature and the Creator are an
essential part of their faith. As a result, they are conscious of a
vast field of ecumenical and interreligious cooperation opening up
before them.”
Governments
- “The ecological crisis reveals the urgent moral need for
a new solidarity [MY TEN YEAR OLD HAS REALIZED THIS ON HIS OWN
ALREADY. WHY CAN'T GOVERNMENTS WORK THIS OUT?]... share
responsibility... of a natural and social environment... both
peaceful and healthy... newly industrialized States cannot, for
example, be asked to apply restrictive environmental standards to
their emerging industries unless the industrialized States first
apply them within their own boundaries... countries in the process of
industrialization are not morally free to repeat the errors made in
the past by others, and recklessly continue to damage the environment
through industrial pollutants, radical deforestation or unlimited
exploitation of non-renewable resources... urgent need to find a
solution to the treatment and disposal of toxic wastes.”
no
“ecological balance... without.. addressing...Rural poverty and
unjust land distribution”
“Despite
the international agreements which prohibit chemical, bacteriological
and biological warfare, the fact is that laboratory research
continues to develop new offensive weapons capable of altering the
balance of nature.”
“intimate
relationship between the poor and the fragility of the planet...
everything … connected”
“Many...
[with] more resources and economic or political power... concerned
with masking the problems or concealing their symptoms, simply making
efforts to reduce some of the negative impacts of climate change.”
I
must confess. I haven't finished reading all of the encyclical yet.
It's 62 pages. But this is a start at summarizing, mostly stuff we've
heard before but with the power of religious authority maybe people
will start listening. Also Pope Francis and other religious leaders
have clarified for me the root problem of our ecological crisis:
selfish disregard for others at all levels.
If
I come across more thought provoking bits in my future reading I'll
post again. And just a plug at self promotion, this message seems to
have a lot in common with my view of nature as shared in my post Can an Animist be a Catholic Christian?
What
do you think of the encyclical on ecology?
How
do you feel about Pope Francis?
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