SUMMARY:
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OVERVIEW OF THE ENCYCLICAL LAUDATO SI'
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PRESS CONFERENCE FOR THE PRESENTATION OF THE ENCYCLICAL LAUDATO SI'
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THE POPE CONTINUES HIS VISITS TO THE DICASTERIES OF THE ROMAN CURIA
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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS
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OVERVIEW
OF THE ENCYCLICAL LAUDATO SI'
Vatican
City, 18 June 2015 (VIS) – The following text offers an overview of
the 191 pages of the Encyclical Laudato si' and its key points, along
with a summary of each of its six chapters (“What is happening to
our common home”, “The Gospel of Creation”, “The human roots
of the ecological crisis”, “Integral ecology”, “Lines of
approach and action”, and “Ecological education and
spirituality”). The Encyclical concludes with an interreligious
prayer for our earth and a Christian prayer for Creation.
“What
kind of world do we want to leave to those who come after us, to
children who are now growing up?” (160). This question is at the
heart of Laudato si’ (May You be praised), the anticipated
Encyclical on the care of the common home by Pope Francis. “This
question does not have to do with the environment alone and in
isolation; the issue cannot be approached piecemeal”. This leads us
to ask ourselves about the meaning of existence and its values at the
basis of social life: “What is the purpose of our life in this
world? What is the goal of our work and all our efforts? What need
does the earth have of us?” “Unless we struggle with these deeper
issues – says the Pope – I do not believe that our concern for
ecology will produce significant results”-.
The
Encyclical takes its name from the invocation of St. Francis, “Praise
be to you, my Lord”, in his Canticle of the Creatures. It reminds
us that the earth, our common home “is like a sister with whom we
share our life and a beautiful mother who opens her arms to embrace
us”. We have forgotten that “we ourselves are dust of the earth;
our very bodies are made up of her elements, we breathe her air and
we receive life and refreshment from her waters.”
Now,
this earth, mistreated and abused, is lamenting, and its groans join
those of all the forsaken of the world. Pope Francis invites us to
listen to them, urging each and every one – individuals, families,
local communities, nations and the international community – to an
“ecological conversion”, according to the expression of St. John
Paul II. We are invited to “change direction” by taking on the
beauty and responsibility of the task of “caring for our common
home”. At the same time, Pope Francis recognises that “there is a
growing sensitivity to the environment and the need to protect
nature, along with a growing concern, both genuine and distressing,
for what is happening to our planet”. A ray of hope flows through
the entire Encyclical, which gives a clear message of hope. “Humanity
still has the ability to work together in building our common home”.
“Men and women are still capable of intervening positively”. “All
is not lost. Human beings, while capable of the worst, are also
capable of rising above themselves, choosing again what is good, and
making a new start”.
Pope
Francis certainly addresses the Catholic faithful, quoting St. John
Paul II: “Christians in their turn “realise that their
responsibility within creation, and their duty towards nature and the
Creator, are an essential part of their faith”“. Pope Francis
proposes specially “to enter into dialogue with all people about
our common home”. The dialogue runs throughout the text and in
chapter 5 it becomes the instrument for addressing and solving
problems. From the beginning, Pope Francis recalls that “other
Churches and Christian communities – and other religions as well –
have also expressed deep concern and offered valuable reflections”
on the theme of ecology. Indeed, such contributions expressly come
in, starting with that of “the beloved Ecumenical Patriarch
Bartholomew”, extensively cited in numbers 8-9. On several
occasions, then, the Pope thanks the protagonists of this effort –
individuals as well as associations and institutions. He acknowledges
that “the reflections of numerous scientists, philosophers,
theologians and civic groups, all […] have enriched the Church’s
thinking on these questions”. He invites everyone to recognize “the
rich contribution which the religions can make towards an integral
ecology and the full development of humanity”.
The
itinerary of the Encyclical is mapped out in n. 15 and divided into
six chapters. It starts by presenting the current situation based on
the best scientific findings available today, next, there is a review
of the Bible and Judeo-Christian tradition. The root of the problems
in technocracy and in an excessive self-centredness of the human
being are analysed. The Encyclical proposes an “integral ecology,
which clearly respects its human and social dimensions”,
inextricably linked to the environmental question. In this
perspective, Pope Francis proposes to initiate an honest dialogue at
every level of social, economic and political life, that builds
transparent decision-making processes, and recalls that no project
can be effective if it is not animated by a formed and responsible
conscience. Ideas are put forth to aid growth in this direction at
the educational, spiritual, ecclesial, political and theological
levels. The text ends with two prayers; one offered for sharing with
everyone who believes in “God who is the all-powerful Creator”,
and the other to those who profess faith in Jesus Christ, punctuated
by the refrain “Praise be to you!” which opens and closes the
Encyclical.
Several
main themes run through the text that are addressed from a variety of
different perspectives, traversing and unifying the text: the
intimate relationship between the poor and the fragility of the
planet, the conviction that everything in the world is connected, the
critique of new paradigms and forms of power derived from technology,
the call to seek other ways of understanding the economy and
progress, the value proper to each creature, the human meaning of
ecology, the need for forthright and honest debate, the serious
responsibility of international and local policies, the throwaway
culture and the proposal of a new lifestyle.
Chapter
1 – WHAT IS HAPPENING TO OUR COMMON HOME (Pollution and climate
change; Pollution, refuse and the culture of waste; Climate as a
common good; The issue of water; Loss of biodiversity; Decline in the
quality of human life and the breakdown of society; Global
inequality; Weak responses; A variety of opinions).
The
chapter presents the most recent scientific findings on the
environment as a way to listen to the cry of creation, “to become
painfully aware, to dare to turn what is happening to the world into
our own personal suffering and thus to discover what each of us can
do about it”. It thus deals with “several aspects of the present
ecological crisis”.
Pollution
and climate change: “Climate change is a global problem with
serious implications, environmental, social, economic, political and
for the distribution of goods; it represents one of the principal
challenges facing humanity in our day”. If “the climate is a
common good, belonging to all and meant for all”, the greatest
impact of this change falls on the poorest, but “many of those who
possess more resources and economic or political power seem mostly to
be concerned with masking the problems or concealing their symptoms”.
“Our lack of response to these tragedies involving our brothers and
sisters points to the loss of that sense of responsibility for our
fellow men and women upon which all civil society is founded”.
The
issue of water: the Pope clearly states that “access to safe
drinkable water is a basic and universal human right, since it is
essential to human survival and, as such, is a condition for the
exercise of other human rights”. To deprive the poor of access to
water means to deny “the right to a life consistent with their
inalienable dignity”.
Loss
of biodiversity: “Each year sees the disappearance of thousands of
plant and animal species which we will never know, which our children
will never see, because they have been lost forever”. They are not
just any exploitable “resource”, but have a value in and of
themselves. In this perspective “we must be grateful for the
praiseworthy efforts being made by scientists and engineers dedicated
to finding solutions to man-made problems”, but when human
intervention is at the service of finance and consumerism, “it is
actually making our earth less rich and beautiful, ever more limited
and grey”.
Decline
in the quality of human life and the breakdown of society: in the
framework of an ethics of international relationships, the Encyclical
indicates how a “true “ecological debt” exists in the world,
with the North in debt to the South. In the face of climate change,
there are “differentiated responsibilities”, and those of the
developed countries are greater.
Aware
of the profound differences over these issues, Pope Francis shows
himself to be deeply affected by the “weak responses” in the face
of the drama of many peoples and populations. Even though there is no
lack of positive examples, there is “a complacency and a cheerful
recklessness”. An adequate culture is lacking as well as a
willingness to change life style, production and consumption, while
there are efforts being made “to establish a legal framework which
can set clear boundaries and ensure the protection of ecosystems”.
Chapter
Two – THE GOSPEL OF CREATION (The light offered by faith; The
wisdom of the Biblical accounts; The mystery of the universe; The
message of each creature in the harmony of creation; A universal
communion; The common destination of goods; The gaze of Jesus).
To
face the problems illustrated in the previous chapter, Pope Francis
selects Biblical accounts, offering a comprehensive view that comes
from the Judeo-Christian tradition. With this he articulates the
“tremendous responsibility” of humankind for creation, the
intimate connection among all creatures and the fact that “the
natural environment is a collective good, the patrimony of all
humanity and the responsibility of everyone”.
In
the Bible, “the God who liberates and saves is the same God who
created the universe, and these two divine ways of acting are
intimately and inseparably connected”. The story of creation is
central for reflecting on the relationship between human beings and
other creatures and how sin breaks the equilibrium of all creation in
its entirety: “These accounts suggest that human life is grounded
in three fundamental and closely intertwined relationships: with God,
with our neighbour and with the earth itself. According to the Bible,
these three vital relationships have been broken, both outwardly and
within us. This rupture is sin”.
For
this, even if “we Christians have at times incorrectly interpreted
the Scriptures, nowadays we must forcefully reject the notion that
our being created in God’s image and given dominion over the earth
justifies absolute domination over other creatures”. Human beings
have the responsibility to ““till and keep” the garden of the
world”, knowing that “the ultimate purpose of other creatures is
not to be found in us. Rather, all creatures are moving forward, with
us and through us, towards a common point of arrival, which is God”.
That
the human being is not the master of the universe “does not mean to
put all living beings on the same level and to deprive human beings
of their unique worth and the tremendous responsibility it entails.
Nor does it imply a divinisation of the earth which would prevent us
from working on it and protecting it in its fragility”. In this
perspective, “every act of cruelty towards any creature is
“contrary to human dignity”. However, “a sense of deep
communion with the rest of nature cannot be real if our hearts lack
tenderness, compassion and concern for our fellow human beings”.
What is needed is the awareness of a universal communion: “called
into being by the one Father. All of us are linked by unseen bonds
and together form a kind of universal family, a sublime communion
which fills us with a sacred, affectionate and humble respect”.
The
chapter concludes with the heart of Christian revelation: “The
earthly Jesus” with “his tangible and loving relationship with
the world” is “risen and glorious, and is present throughout
creation by his universal Lordship”.
Chapter
three – THE HUMAN ROOTS OF THE ECOLOGICAL CRISIS (Technology:
creativity and power; The globalisation of the technocratic paradigm;
The crisis and effects of modern anthropocentrism; Practical
relativism; The need to protect employment; New biological
technologies).
This
chapter gives an analysis of the current situation, “so as to
consider not only its symptoms but also its deepest causes”, in a
dialogue with philosophy and the human sciences.
Reflections
on technology are an initial focus of the chapter: the great
contribution to the improvement of living conditions is acknowledged
with gratitude. However it gives “those with the knowledge, and
especially the economic resources to use them, an impressive
dominance over the whole of humanity and the entire world”. It is
precisely the mentality of technocratic domination that leads to the
destruction of nature and the exploitation of people and the most
vulnerable populations. “The technocratic paradigm also tends to
dominate economics and political life”, keeping us from recognising
that “by itself the market cannot guarantee integral human
development and social inclusion”.
“Modernity
has been marked by an excessive anthropocentrism”: human beings no
long recognise their right place with respect to the world and take
on a self-centred position, focused exclusively on themselves and on
their own power. This results in a “use and throw away” logic
that justifies every type of waste, environmental or human, that
treats both the other and nature as simple objects and leads to a
myriad of forms of domination. It is this mentality that leads to
exploiting children, abandoning the elderly, forcing others into
slavery and over-evaluating the capacity of the market to regulate
itself, practising human trafficking, selling pelts of animals in
danger of extinction and of “blood diamonds”. It is the same
mentality as many mafias, of those involved in trafficking organs and
drug trafficking and of throwing away unborn babies because they do
not correspond to what the parents want.
In
this light, the Encyclical addresses two crucial problems of today’s
world. Above all work: “any approach to an integral ecology, which
by definition does not exclude human beings, needs to take account of
the value of labour”, because “to stop investing in people, in
order to gain greater short-term financial gain, is bad business for
society”.
The
second problem regards the limitations of scientific progress, with
clear reference to GMOs. This is a “complex environmental issue”.
Even though “in some regions their use has brought about economic
growth which has helped to resolve problems, there remain a number of
significant difficulties which should not be underestimated”,
starting from the “productive land being concentrated in the hands
of a few owners”. Pope Francis thinks particularly of small
producers and rural workers, of biodiversity, and the network of
ecosystems. Therefore “a broad, responsible scientific and social
debate needs to take place, one capable of considering all the
available information and of calling things by their name” starting
from “lines of independent, interdisciplinary research”.
Chapter
four – INTEGRAL ECOLOGY (Environmental, economic and social
ecology; Cultural ecology; Ecology of daily life; The principle of
the common good; Justice between the generations).
The
heart of what the Encyclical proposes is integral ecology as a new
paradigm of justice; an ecology “which respects our unique place as
human beings in this world and our relationship to our surroundings”.
In fact, “nature cannot be regarded as something separate from
ourselves or as a mere setting in which we live”. This is true as
we are involved in various fields: in economy and politics, in
different cultures particularly in those most threatened, and even in
every moment of our daily lives.
The
integral perspective also brings the ecology of institutions into
play: “if everything is related, then the health of a society’s
institutions affects the environment and the quality of human life.
“Every violation of solidarity and civic friendship harms the
environment”.
With
many concrete examples, Pope Francis confirm his thinking that “the
analysis of environmental problems cannot be separated from the
analysis of human, family, work-related and urban contexts, and of
how individuals relate to themselves”. “We are not faced with two
separate crises, one environmental and the other social, but rather
one complex crisis which is both social and environmental”.
“Human
ecology is inseparable from the notion of the common good”, but is
to be understood in a concrete way. In today’s context, in which,
“injustices abound and growing numbers of people are deprived of
basic human rights and considered expendable”, committing oneself
to the common good means to make choices in solidarity based on “a
preferential option for the poorest of our brothers and sisters”.
This is also the best way to leave a sustainable world for future
generations, not just by proclaiming, but by committing to care for
the poor of today, as already emphasised by Benedict XVI: “In
addition to a fairer sense of inter-generational solidarity there is
also an urgent moral need for a renewed sense of intra-generational
solidarity”.
Integral
ecology also involves everyday life. The Encyclical gives specific
attention to the urban environment. The human being has a great
capacity for adaptation and “an admirable creativity and generosity
is shown by persons and groups who respond to environmental
limitations by alleviating the adverse effects of their surroundings
and learning to live productively amid disorder and uncertainty”.
Nevertheless, authentic development presupposes an integral
improvement in the quality of human life: public space, housing,
transport, etc.
Also
“the acceptance of our bodies as God’s gift is vital for
welcoming and accepting the entire world as a gift from the Father
and our common home, whereas thinking that we enjoy absolute power
over our own bodies turns, often subtly, into thinking that we enjoy
absolute power over creation”.
Chapter
five – LINES OF APPROACH AND ACTION (Dialogue on the environment;
In the international community; Dialogue for new national and local
policies; Dialogue and transparency in decision-making; Politics and
economy in dialogue for human fulfilment; Religions in dialogue with
science).
This
chapter addresses the question of what we can and must do. Analyses
are not enough: we need proposals “for dialogue and action which
would involve each of us individually no less than international
policy”. They will “help us to escape the spiral of
self-destruction which currently engulfs us”. For Pope Francis it
is imperative that the developing real approaches is not done in an
ideological, superficial or reductionist way. For this, dialogue is
essential, a term present in the title of every section of this
chapter. “There are certain environmental issues where it is not
easy to achieve a broad consensus. […] the Church does not presume
to settle scientific questions or to replace politics. But I want to
encourage an honest and open debate, so that particular interests or
ideologies will not prejudice the common good”.
On
this basis, Pope Francis is not afraid to judge international
dynamics severely: “Recent World Summits on the environment have
failed to live up to expectations because, due to lack of political
will, they were unable to reach truly meaningful and effective global
agreements on the environment”. And he asks “What would induce
anyone, at this stage, to hold on to power only to be remembered for
their inability to take action when it was urgent and necessary to do
so?”. Instead, what is needed, as the Popes have repeated several
times, starting with Pacem in terris, are forms and instruments for
global governance: “an agreement on systems of governance for the
whole range of the so-called “global commons”“, seeing that
“environmental protection cannot be assured solely on the basis of
financial calculations of costs and benefits. The environment is one
of those goods that cannot be adequately safeguarded or promoted by
market forces” (190, Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the
Church).
In
this fifth chapter, Pope Francis insists on development of honest and
transparent decision-making processes, in order to “discern”
which policies and business initiatives can bring about “genuine
integral development”. In particular, a proper environmental impact
study of new “business ventures and projects demands transparent
political processes involving a free exchange of views. On the other
hand, the forms of corruption which conceal the actual environmental
impact of a given project in exchange for favours usually produce
specious agreements which fail to inform adequately and do not allow
for full debate”.
The
most significant appeal is addressed to those who hold political
office, so that they avoid “a mentality of “efficiency” and
“immediacy” that is so prevalent today: “but if they are
courageous, they will attest to their God-given dignity and leave
behind a testimony of selfless responsibility”.
Chapter
six – ECOLOGICAL EDUCATION AND SPIRITUALITY (Towards a new
lifestyle; Educating for the covenant between humanity and the
environment; Ecological conversion; Joy and peace; Civic and
political love; Sacramental signs and the celebration of rest; The
trinity and relationships between creatures; Queen of all creation;
Beyond the sun).
The
final chapter invites everyone to the heart of ecological conversion.
The roots of the cultural crisis are deep, and it is not easy to
reshape habits and behaviour. Education and training are the key
challenges: “change is impossible without motivation and a process
of education” (15). All educational sectors are involved, primarily
“at school, in families, in the media, in catechesis and
elsewhere”.
The
starting point is “to aim for a new lifestyle”, which also opens
the possibility of “bringing healthy pressure to bear on those who
wield political, economic and social power”. This is what happens
when consumer choices are able to “change the way businesses
operate, forcing them to consider their environmental footprint and
their patterns of production”.
The
importance of environmental education cannot be underestimated. It is
able to affect actions and daily habits, the reduction of water
consumption, the sorting of waste and even “turning off unnecessary
lights”: “An integral ecology is also made up of simple daily
gestures which break with the logic of violence, exploitation and
selfishness”. Everything will be easier starting with a
contemplative outlook that comes from faith: “as believers, we do
not look at the world from without but from within, conscious of the
bonds with which the Father has linked us with all beings. By
developing our individual, God-given capacities, an ecological
conversion can inspire us to greater creativity and enthusiasm”.
As
proposed in Evangelii Gaudium: “sobriety, when lived freely and
consciously, is liberating”, just as “happiness means knowing how
to limit some needs which only diminish us, and being open to the
many different possibilities which life can offer”. In this way “we
must regain the conviction that we need one another, that we have a
shared responsibility for others and the world, and that being good
and decent are worth it”.
The
saints accompany us on this journey. St. Francis, cited several
times, is “the example par excellence of care for the vulnerable
and of an integral ecology lived out joyfully and authentically”.
He is the model of “the inseparable bond between concern for
nature, justice for the poor, commitment to society, and interior
peace”. The Encyclical also mentions St. Benedict, St. Teresa di
Lisieux and Blessed Charles de Foucauld.
After
Laudato si’, the regular practice of an examination of conscience,
the means that the Church has always recommended to orient one’s
life in light of the relationship with the Lord, should include a new
dimension, considering not only how one has lived communion with God,
with others and with oneself, but also with all creatures and with
nature.
The
full text of the encyclical in English can be consulted at:
PRESS
CONFERENCE FOR THE PRESENTATION OF THE ENCYCLICAL LAUDATO SI'
Vatican
City, 18 June 2015 (VIS) – This morning in the New Synod Hall
Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson, president of the Pontifical
Council “Justice and Peace”, introduced Pope Francis' Encyclical
“Laudato si'”, on care for our common home.
The
cardinal welcomed the presenters of the document: the Metropolitan of
Pergamon, John Zizioulas, representing the Ecumenical Patriarchate
and the Orthodox Church, who spoke on theology and spirituality, the
opening and closing themes of the encyclical; Professor John
Schellnhuber, founder and director of the Institute for Climate
Impact in Potsdam, Federal Republic of Germany, representing the
field of natural sciences, with which the encyclical enters into
profound dialogue, and who was recently appointed as an ordinary
member of the Pontifical Academy of the Sciences; Carolyn Woo,
president of Catholic Relief Services and former dean of the Mendoza
College of Business of the University of Notre Dame, U.S.A.,
representing the sectors of economy, finance, trade and commerce,
whose responses to the great environmental challenges are crucial;
and Valeria Martano, a teacher for 20 years in the outskirts of Rome
and witness to human and environmental degradation, as well as to
some examples of “best practice”, a sign of hope.
The
speakers demonstrated that the Encyclical, from the very beginning,
seeks to establish a dialogue with all, both individuals as well as
the organisations and institutions that share the same concerns as
the Pope, approached from different perspectives, in a global
situation that renders them increasingly intertwined and
complementary. “This type of dialogue was also employed as the
method of preparation that the Holy Father embraced in the writing of
the Encyclical”, said Cardinal Turkson. “He relied on a wide
range of contributions. Some, in particular those from many Episcopal
Conferences from all the continents, are mentioned. ... Others who
participated in the various phases of this work … remain unnamed.
The Lord knows well how to reward their generosity and dedication”.
The
Encyclical takes its name from the invocation of St Francis of
Assisi: “Laudato si’ mi’ Signore” “Praise be to you, my
Lord”. “The reference to St. Francis also indicates the attitude
upon which the entire encyclical is based, that of prayerful
contemplation, which invites us to look towards the 'poor one of
Assisi” as a source of inspiration” and as the quintessential
example of “care for the vulnerable and of an integral ecology
lived out joyfully and authentically”.
Metropolitan
John Zizioulas of Pergamon devoted a large part of his intervention
to the ecumenism in “Laudato si'”, and mentioned that in 1989 the
Ecumenical Patriarch Dimitrios published an encyclical addressed to
all Christians and persons of good will warning of the seriousness of
the ecological problem and its theological and spiritual
implications, and in the same year he proposed the dedication of 1
September every year to prayer for the environment. This date,
according to the Orthodox calendar, is the first day of the
ecclesiastical year and now devoted to the environment. The
Metropolitan proposed the adoption by all Christians of this day for
prayer for the environment.
“I
believe that the significance of the papal Encyclical Laudato si' is
not limited to the subject of ecology as such. I see in it an
important ecumenical dimension in that it brings the divided
Christians before a common task which they must face together. We
live at a time when fundamental existential problems overwhelm our
traditional divisions and relativise them almost to the point of
extinction. Look, for example, at what is happening today in the
Middle East: do those who persecute the Christians ask them to which
Church or Confession they belong? Christian unity in such cases is de
facto realised by persecution and blood – an ecumenism of
martyrdom”.
“The
threat posed to us by the ecological crisis similarly bypasses or
transcends our traditional divisions. The danger facing our common
home, the planet on which we live, is described in the Encyclical in
a way leaving no doubt about the existential risk we are confronted
with. This risk is common to all of us regardless of our
ecclesiastical or confessional identities. Equally common must be our
effort to prevent the catastrophic consequences of the present
situation. Pope Francis' Encyclical is a call to unity – unity in
prayer for the environment, in the same Gospel of Creation, in the
conversion of our hearts and our lifestyles to respect and love
everyone and everything given to us by God”.
Professor
John Schellnhuber went on to note that, from a technological
perspective, the deployment of clean energy for all is feasible and
is, in fact, “available in abundance. All we have to do is develop
the means to properly harvest it and responsibly manage our
consumption. While we have been working decade after decade on
developing an incredibly expensive fusion reactor, we are already
blessed with one that works perfectly well and is free to all of us:
the Sun. Photovoltaics, wind and energy from biomass are ultimately
all powered by sunlight. These new technologies could unfold
potential in poor countries where no grid exists to distribute
electricity produced by centralised power plants and where
settlements may be too distantly located from one another to make
such as system feasible. Just like the evolving use of mobile phones
without the previous establishment of landlines, developing countries
could leapfrog the fossil episode and enter the age of decentralised
renewable energy production without detour”.
“The
care for our planet therefore does not have to evolve into a tragedy
of the commons. It may well turn into a story of great transformation
in which the opportunity was seized to overcome profound
inequalities. These disparities arose from the geological coincidence
of regional fossil fuel distribution controlled by the few and the
concomitant exploitation. Today, the implications of our actions and
the pathways are clear. It is solely a question of what future we
choose to believe in and to pursue”.
Carolyn
Woo, the president of Catholic Relief Services and former dean of the
Mendoza College of Business of the University of Notre Dame, U.S.A.,
as an expert in economics and finance, affirmed that investing in
sustainability is “another win-win opportunity for business”,
given that “numerous studies have provided estimates of
astronomical costs associated with coastal disasters as water levels
rise, drought and storms that devastate agricultural production, or
loss in productivity due to growing days of extreme heat and health
crises due to pollution. … Business can play a role to assist
customers to become responsible consumers. Design and production that
minimises waste by utilising renewable energy sources, improving
efficiencies, enabling recycling, reclamation and re-use provides new
opportunities for businesses as these enable consumers to do their
part”.
“This
Encyclical certainly affirms the important role that business will
need to play, but Pope Francis is clear that we need partnerships
between public and private sectors – as he puts it, 'politics and
economics in dialogue for human fulfilment'. Since both public and
private sectors have the same goal, and are integrated into the same
interconnected web of life, they need to work together in harmony.
Sometimes that means business being more accepting of stronger forms
of regulation, especially in the financial sector. It also means
business getting fully on board with the new Sustainable Development
Goals and the need to take action to combat climate change. At the
end of the day, business is a human enterprise and must strive for
true human development and the common good”.
Finally,
the teacher Valeria Martano talked about urban ecology, endangered by
pollution, inadequate services and generalised individualism, as a
challenge for Christians. The quality of life in the suburbs is poor,
she emphasised: “there is a build-up of rage and a sense of
exclusion. Too many people are denied the dignity of a house, such as
the Roma community, and often we witness the destruction of
precarious dwellings without the offer of an alternative. The elderly
are 'expelled' from the social fabric and located in peripheral
institutions. … We encounter violence in some quarters. But we can
help live better if we reject this resignation to individualism. …
For years, with the Sant'Egidio Community, we have worked to save
spaces from pollution. … Starting with the weakest – children,
the elderly, the disabled – we reconstruct a human fabric. …
Around the weak, it is possible to renew the face of the suburbs,
discovering energies that renew human ecology”.
“The
Encyclical invites us to put into practice the common good”, she
concluded. “The city and the environment are our common home. We
often live according to human itineraries: fragmented and
contradictory. Each person tries to save himself, in his own corner.
Everyone follows his own interest. But there is a 'community
salvation' that starts from the inclusion of the weak, a valuable
resource for an integral ecology”.
THE
POPE CONTINUES HIS VISITS TO THE DICASTERIES OF THE ROMAN CURIA
Vatican
City, 18 June 2015 (VIS) – This morning the Holy Father visited the
dicasteries of the Roman Curia located in Via della Conciliazione, 5.
OTHER
PONTIFICAL ACTS
Vatican
City, 18 June 2015 (VIS) – The Holy Father has appointed Msgr.
Franco Piva of the diocese of Rimini to the College of Apostolic
Pronotaries “de numero participantium”.
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