Laudata Si and how it connects to revernece for creation and the Franciscan Values

NameProfessorClass4/26/2018 The Pope and the EnvironmentEveryone is an environmentalist to a certain degree; no one wants to live in a toxic waste dump. Some are more environmentalist than others, some propose radical solutions to various problems. Anyone who is Christian inherently believes that the planet should be taken care of (as we are the stewards of the Earth). Hardly anyone debates this. What people debate are the specific solutions. Should we pass laws to tax carbon emissions? Should we invest more in nuclear power? Should we invest in other forms of green energy? The Pope is a major influence in international politics. As head of the Catholic Church, he is considered representative of Christ on Earth and therefore infallible. While Protestants may not pay much attention to the teaching of the Pope, he is a major influence on the world stage.The Pope has much to say about environmental problems, but what is his solution? In paragraph 60, he states that there should be a mean between two extremes: At one extreme, we find those who doggedly uphold the myth of progress and tell us that ecological problems will solve themselves simply with the application of new technology and without any need for ethical considerations or deep change. At the other extreme are those who view men and women and all their interventions as no more than a threat, jeopardizing the global ecosystem, and consequently the presence of human beings on the planet should be reduced and all forms of intervention prohibited.

Viable future scenarios will have to be generated between these extremes, since there is no one path to a solution (Francis). We may deconstruct this. The myth of progress is that environmental problems will solve themselves and so we don’t need to worry about them. The other extreme is more anti-human; our very existence is a threat to the environment. This leaves a great deal of space in the middle. Very few people would say there are no ethical concerns, very few would say that animal life is more important than human life. What is the role of Christian ethics in finding the mean between these extremes?
Saint Francis of Assisi, while known for his love of nature, was something of an ascetic. He committed himself to poverty and to a spiritual existence. This started with him giving away his money to lepers in devotion to helping those less fortunate (Beckwith 1-5). Saint Francis is also the patron saint of animals. He once preached to a flock of birds and had them fly away in a cross formation. Another time he tamed a wild wolf (Dix, 1). Is there a connection between Saint Francis and Pope Francis regarding concern for the environment? The connection is intentional, animals and the poor are the most vulnerable to environmental problems. Wild animals are completely dependent on their environment, the poorest suffer the most from droughts. Ideas of environmental and social justice are tied up in this way. Reverence for creation includes all life. There is a lot about the Pope’s answer that we could disagree with. For example, in paragraph 93, the Pope says “The Christian tradition has never recognized the right to private property as absolute or inviolable” (Francis). If that were the case, what does “Thou shall not steal” mean (King James Bible, Exod. 20:15)? The Pope’s vision is not just religious but it is political. In other words, it is the role of government to obey God in a certain way. The Protestant tradition has always been suspicious of the Pope’s political claims. We might agree that the world belongs to God, but we can disagree on God’s will. Maybe helping the poor involves burning fossil fuels, perhaps such industrialization is not a bad thing? People were far poorer in the medieval ages, most would not want to live as the actual Saint Francis lived. Most people prefer luxury and easy living. Who can blame them?
Works CitedBeckwith, Barbara. “Francis of Assisi.” Priest, vol. 68, no. 10, Oct. 2012, pp. 18-23. Dix, Tara K. “Paws for Meditation.” U.S. Catholic, vol. 68, no. 10, Oct. 2003, pp. 40-42. Francis. Laudato Si of the Holy Father Francis on Care for Our Common Home. 2015. Retrieved from http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/encyclicals/documents/papa- francesco_20150524_enciclica-laudato-si.html. The Bible. Authorized King James Version, Oxford UP, 1998.