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Pope Francis vis--vis earth stewards

BY AMBASSADOR AMADO TOLENTINO ON AUGUST 8, 2015

The earth does not belong to man. Man belongs to the earth . This we know: Whatever
befalls the earth befalls the sons of the earth. Man did not weave the web of life: he is
merely a strand in it ..
Chief Seattle
AT long last, the Vatican released to the expectant world Pope Francis environment
encyclical Laudato Si. Encyclicals are considered the most authoritative document a Pope
can issue. This one is about the dire effects of environmental degradation especially on the
poor and urges the world to take action on moral grounds.

The encyclical could at best be described as the Popes lament and call to action for the
earths protection and sustainability. It links environmental degradation with economic
and social justice aiming to connect environment very tightly to the Churchs social
teaching to give preferential treatment to the poor.
No one has written an encyclical focused on the environment before. For analysts, this
could be traced to the Popes Jesuit formation which reinforces the idea that we are
stewards of Gods creation and that God is somehow present in all of creation. Therefore,
we have a duty to look after the earth responsibly. In that regard, Pope Francis should be
credited for having added the religious/moral dimension to an otherwise purely scientific,
political, and economic issue and concern.
Before the launch of Laudato Si, the Pope addressed a local group of grassroots
organizers in Rome saying that an economic system centered only on money would
.plunder nature to sustain frenetic levels of consumption. Climate change, the loss of
biodiversity, deforestation are already showing their devastating effectsfrom which you,
the humble, suffer the most.
Critics of the Popes message against the unbridled pursuit of profits by businessmen,
however, say that the free market, far from being the source of inequality is the great
engine that will pull the worlds poor out of misery.
While the Popes devotion to nature has a theological basis it also has an ethical
component based on who, in particular, is responsible for environmental problems. But
more than the issue of who is responsible is the dispute over the idea that population
control and contraception are the solutions to the planets limited resources rather than
curve the consumerist, wasteful behavior of the rich and the privileged.
Be that as it may, the encyclical emphasizes that man is part of Gods creation and
therefore entitled to protection.
Pope Francis has won much admiration for his humility and reputation as a truth-teller
who speaks simply and plainly. He is the leader of a world-wide institution with 1.2 billion
members with no political interests to protect and no reelection campaign to wage. Indeed,
he is well positioned to win a debate on the issue of how to steward the Earth.
But will the encyclical make an impact on Catholics worldwide who did not pay attention to
the environmental issues before?
No religion in the world could be identified as against protection of the environment from
the effects of climate change. Buddhism is known to respect and hold sacred anything that
has life trees, species of fauna, etc. In Islam, man is Al Khalifa (The Steward). His role
on earth is to act as Gods steward, and trustee of the bounties of the earth. Even faith-
based organizations like the Evangelicals and Baptist faiths have been exceptional leaders
working on climate change.
Hopefully, Pope Francis Laudato Si would lead to a united inter-faith response to make a
case for climate change and urge everyone to take action on moral grounds. After all, we
are the Earths Stewards.

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