The popular head of the 1.2 billion-member Roman Catholic Church recently called for accountability and decisive action to save the planet and help the poor.
Pope Francis issued the highly-anticipated encyclical, titled “Laudato Si”, which was well received by environmentalists worldwide, although it is critical of big business, politicians and “wasteful” consumers.
"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," the teaching document reads, according to reports.
Steve Valk, a member of the Catholic Shrine of the Immaculate Conception and communications director of the Citizens' Climate Lobby, an advocacy organization, hopes the document will put pressure on on world leaders and politicians in the United States to start moving on climate solutions.
“(The Pope) enjoys a lot of respect around the world simply because of the stand that he’s taken to address poverty in the world, and now he’s linking that stand against poverty to the need to address climate change,” Valk said.
Kathryne A. Pusch, owner of ConsultKap Inc. and a cradle Catholic, agrees with the pope.
“ “To me, this is an all-encompassing issue, not just a faith issue, or a lifestyle choice, or a political choice, or and economic choice. “
Atlanta Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory urged local Catholics to pay closer attention to the “the fragile and threatened health of the earth, which serves as our common home” and to find ways they can help.
“The Holy Father wants us all to take seriously the issues that face our planet – not only from an economic perspective, but out of genuine ethical concern for all of the people with whom we share it,” Gregory said in a statement. ” Pope Francis calls us to embrace an integral ecology that brings every dimension of our political, social, financial, ecumenical and scientific worlds together in serious dialogue.”
He acknowledged there are no easy answers.
“We must consider the impact of our lifestyles on the poor and the vulnerable, who suffer immediately and profoundly from the excesses of development that can provide great wealth and benefits at their expense,” Gregory said.
Some took issue with the document.
“Pope Francis’s concern for the poor is clear throughout the encyclical,” said Megan Toombs, communications and outreach coordinator for the Cornwall Alliance for the Stewardship of Creation. “That’s what makes it so sad that the cure for global warming that he embraces would only trap the world’s poor in poverty for more generations.
There are many examples within the U.S., and Atlanta that can emphasize the importance of reliable, affordable energy to people in poverty—the cost of transportation, heat, air-conditioning, etc..”
James H. Rust, a retired Georgia Tech engineering professor who lives in metro Atlanta, said while he agrees with the document’s assertion that people should be good stewards. Yet, he disagrees that fossil fuel combustion causes climate change.
“I think there’s too much evidence that show it’s an insignificant effect on the climate,” he said. “In order to have a clean planet, we need clean use of fossil fuel.”
Steve Caley, though, saw benefits from the pope taking on the environment.
"We now have an interesting marriage of science and one of the world's major religions that, hopefully, will accelerate efforts to preserve our planet before it's too late," said Caley, interim executive director of GreenLaw, a public interest environmental nonprofit in Atlanta.
The pope used his moral authority to take an "incredibly powerful" and visible stand on global warming, said Jennette Gayer, director of Environment Georgia.
” We hope this call for bold action to stem the climate crisis will help rally public opinion in a way that politicians can no longer ignore,” she said. ” Judging by how madly the fossil fuel industry and their apologists have been scrambling to belittle this pope already, they must fear today’s action will ultimately mean they can no longer pollute our planet without consequence.”
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