The Pope's 2nd encyclical has been characterized as a rebuke on climate change deniers. In my view, that's a severely reductionist take on the thing as a whole. In fact, 'warming' and 'climate change' are mentioned 9 and 12 times, respectively. I'd like to explore the other 40,000+ words contained in the teaching.
compare and contrast these two quotes that attempt to sum up the encyclical;
Greenpeace executive director Kumi Naidoo: "a welcome rebuke to climate-change deniers and the interests that seek to thwart progress. The Pope's words should jolt heads of government out of complacency, and encourage them to bring in tough laws in their own countries to protect the climate, and to agree to a strong protocol in Paris at the end of the year".
R.R. Reno of the religious journal First Things: "a dark reflection on the evils of modernity".
Is the encyclical a call to progressiveness, or an appeal to rediscover something that has been lost? From the excerpts I've read, covering a wide range of topics ranging from abortion to social media to the nature of the Incarnation, I don't find the encyclical to be a prescription toward specific government policy about climate change. Rather, Pope Francis is calling us to rediscover an inner life that is drowned out by an abstract and harried modern lifestyle.
compare and contrast these two quotes that attempt to sum up the encyclical;
Greenpeace executive director Kumi Naidoo: "a welcome rebuke to climate-change deniers and the interests that seek to thwart progress. The Pope's words should jolt heads of government out of complacency, and encourage them to bring in tough laws in their own countries to protect the climate, and to agree to a strong protocol in Paris at the end of the year".
R.R. Reno of the religious journal First Things: "a dark reflection on the evils of modernity".
Is the encyclical a call to progressiveness, or an appeal to rediscover something that has been lost? From the excerpts I've read, covering a wide range of topics ranging from abortion to social media to the nature of the Incarnation, I don't find the encyclical to be a prescription toward specific government policy about climate change. Rather, Pope Francis is calling us to rediscover an inner life that is drowned out by an abstract and harried modern lifestyle.