My first reaction to Laudato Si was one of relief.
My first reaction to Laudato Si was one of relief. For decades it has felt as if the world was on a path to destruction, with all the loudest and most powerful voices urging it to go further and faster. A blind faith in market forces has been pressing the world, its environment, and its people into the service of the idol of money, with economic growth and personal consumption being presented as the highest objectives to which we could aspire.
But now, a voice which has been heard around the world, speaking to “every person living on this planet” has said, unequivocally, clearly, and without compromise, ‘stop’. Stop plundering the planet and stop exploiting its people.
Perhaps most significantly, Pope Francis has inextricably linked the two greatest problems facing humanity and the planet – the destruction of our environment, and inequality. In doing so he has issued a revolutionary challenge to the political and economic status quo, which led a Fox News pundit to dub him “the most dangerous man on the planet.”
For those who preside over the exploitation of people and planet, this is probably true. Pope Francis presents a great threat to them. Because if we all start truly believing that the poorest person on earth has as much right to clean water, food, and dignity as the richest billionaire, how can we let the status quo continue?
Whilst some politicians expressed their displeasure, the Encyclical was warmly welcomed by people of diverse backgrounds. As it was launched in the Vatican, radical activist Naomi Klein stood alongside Cardinal Turkson, something which Klein herself declared she could never have imagined.
Environmentalist and atheist George Monbiot wrote that Laudato Si could be “a potential turning point.” Pope Francis, he said, “argued that not only the physical survival of the poor, but also our spiritual welfare depends on the protection of the natural world; and in both respects he is right.”
One factor which will help the message of Laudato Si reach a wider audience than previous Papal Encyclicals is the way it is written. Compared to the rather tortuous language of some Encyclicals of the past, this one seems a model of clarity and simplicity – very much in the spirit of Saint Francis. The arguments are clearly set out, technical and theological jargon is used quite sparingly, and it will be easy to extract passages for teaching and discussion. Take for instance:
“It must be said that some committed and prayerful Christians, with the excuse of realism and pragmatism, tend to ridicule expressions of concern for the environment. Others are passive; they choose not to change their habits and thus become inconsistent. So what they all need is an ‘ecological conversion’, whereby the effects of their encounter with Jesus Christ become evident in their relationship with the world around them. Living our vocation to be protectors of God’s handiwork is essential to a life of virtue; it is not an optional or a secondary aspect of our Christian experience.”
Saving our planet and securing a dignified life for all who live on it may feel like an impossible task, but perhaps this week, Pope Francis has made it feel just a little bit less so.
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© Bernadette Meaden has written about political, religious and social issues for some years, and is strongly influenced by Christian Socialism, liberation theology and the Catholic Worker movement. She is an Ekklesia associate and regular contributor. You can follow her on Twitter: @BernaMeaden