Pope Francis' upcoming climate change encyclical 'Laudato Sii' (Praised Be)

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This thread is wandering. Please stay on the topic of the upcoming encyclical
 
The fracking will not begin until late this year, but if they find increased air pollution in our area consistent with fracking after it has been going on for some time then I most certainly WILL blame it on the fracking and fossil fuel gluttony of people who really are more pro-machine than pro-life.
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Two things: some of the biggest Hollywood proponents of global warming (oops I mean global cooling, wait, I mean “climate change”) jet around in their lear jets gobbling up all kinds of fossil fuel to go to the next premiere, etc. I wonder if they will read the Pope’s encyclical? Two, I wonder if you would refer to them as fossil fuel gluttons?

Ishii
 
What is needed to solve the big environmental problems is a life of many small deeds done out of love for God.
What is needed to solve the problem of energy generation are technological advances. Period.

Ender
 
Pope Francis’ Integral Ecology

There’s a new term being bandied about, and it’s high time we paid heed: integral ecology.

Whenever the same notion arises synchronously in a number of different contexts – in this case the Catholic Church, the Occupy movement, the climate movement, and the new-economy movement – it’s an idea whose time has arrived.

Rumor has it that integral ecology is the central theme of Pope Francis’ encyclical on ecology and climate, due out at the end of summer. Encyclicals, “the highest and most comprehensive level of teaching in the Catholic Church,” are the primary instruments by which the Church advises its 1.2 billion members on pressing moral issues.

The impending encyclical has already generated considerable media buzz, much of which can be followed at the website of the Yale Forum on Religion and Ecology. Moreover, Teilhard Perspectives, the semiannual publication of the American Teilhard Association (ATA), has dedicated its most recent edition to providing background and commentary on integral ecology. (For those unfamiliar, Teilhard de Chardin (1881-1955), whose quotation begins this essay, was a Jesuit paleontologist-priest whose influence on Christian thought, some believe, is second only to that of St. Paul.) The lovely lead article, by ATA president John Grim, deserves to be read in its entirety. Here, I’ll summarize and offer a few complementary perspectives and quotations.

huffingtonpost.com/dave-pruett/pope-francis-integral-eco_b_7460058.html
I used to scoff at the “Empty Throne” radtrads. But after hearing about this encyclical, I think they may have a point.
 
I used to scoff at the “Empty Throne” radtrads. But after hearing about this encyclical, I think they may have a point.
I would not base my view of what is going on in the Catholic Church by an admitted rumor in the Huffington Post.
 
Addressing the problem of climate change is a moral duty, which mankind can fulfill “only if we act together and agree,” Pope Francis said in a message to a UN conference on climate …

More…
 
What is needed to solve the problem of energy generation are technological advances. Period.

Ender
The Solyndra fiasco by itself could have funded significant and meaningful R&D into developing safe and cheap thorium reactors.
 
The Solyndra fiasco by itself could have funded significant and meaningful R&D into developing safe and cheap thorium reactors.
Just a guess on your part? Or do you have some basis for thinking thorium reactors are on the verge of being safe and cheap?
 
MODERATOR NOTICE

This thread is wandering. Please stay with the topic of the upcoming encyclical
 
The Solyndra fiasco by itself could have funded significant and meaningful R&D into developing safe and cheap thorium reactors.
Fission energy systems will have some role to play in the whole planetary resource management game. It’s a question of which technology can overcome the technical and political hurdles first. There is simply too much energy gain to ignore. It will be interesting to watch the environmental/political evolution of this.
 
The Holy See Press Office has confirmed that Pope Francis’s second encyclical will be entitled Laudato Si (Praised Be), a reference to St. Francis of Assisi’s Canticle of the Sun.

The press office also announced the encyclical’s subtitle (“on the care of our common home”) and the names of those who will be presenting the encyclical at its June 18 release.

Joining Cardinal Peter Turkson, the president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, will be Orthodox Archbishop John Zizioulas of Pergamon, who will represent the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, and Hans Joachim Schellnhuber, the director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and chairman of the German Advisory Council on Global Change.

Laudato Si will be the first papal encyclical to have a non-Latin title since Venerable Pius XII’s 1957 encyclical Le pèlerinage de Lourdes.

More…
 
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/images/size340/green_plant_environment_via_UnSplash_cnajpg.jpgSt. Louis, Mo., Jun 10, 2015 / 04:18 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- With Pope Francis’ encyclical on ecology and the environment to be released next week, the U.S. bishops are reflecting on possible themes of the upcoming document.

“We can be sure that concern for the poor will be a central theme throughout this encyclical,” Archbishop Thomas Wenski of Miami said June 10. He suggested Catholics should approach ecological topics “with our hearts aimed to the glory of the Creator, and our eyes wide open to the need of our brothers and sisters, including those who come after us.”

Bishop Oscar Cantu of Las Cruces, N.M. likewise reflected on the encyclical’s prospects for providing a global perspective that helps the poor.

“The Church has come to understand that the health of the global family is dependent on the health of its weakest members,” he said. “Poor nations need to develop in order to reduce poverty, but we must help them to follow a more sustainable path to economic development than the one we took.”

Pope Francis’ encyclical, “Laudato Sii,” will be published on June 18.

The two American bishops discussed the upcoming encyclical’s likely themes at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ general assembly in St. Louis. Archbishop Wenski chairs the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, while Bishop Cantu chairs the Committee on International Justice and Peace.

Archbishop Joseph Kurtz of Louisville, the U.S. bishops’ conference president, introduced their presentation. He said that the U.S. bishops welcome the “tremendous opportunity” to help the faithful receive the encyclical in “a thoughtful and prayerful way” and to help “elevate the conversation” above ideological and partisan divides.

Archbishop Wenski said the U.S. bishops can help ensure that Catholics hear Pope Francis.

“Let us work to create space for people of good will to consider the Holy Father’s message. He has a voice that will transcend the partisanship that has characterized much of the debate on climate change.”

The Miami archbishop expected the encyclical to address concepts like “integral ecology,” which explains “our care for one another and for the environment are intimately related.”

He suggested that the Pope will criticize actions that “casually discard people and the gifts of the earth.”

Cooperation with God’s design applies both to people’s relationship to the natural world and to their relationships with one another, Archbishop Wenski explained. People should resist the “throwaway culture” in favor of a culture of “solidarity and encounter.”

Bishop Cantu said an integral approach to ecology links “the welfare of God’s people and God’s creation, of rich and poor, of our nation and the world.”

He expected the encyclical to offer a global perspective. He noted Pope Francis’ repeated calls to counter the “globalization of indifference” with global solidarity.

The encyclical could also reflect on the link between ecology, human security and health.

Bishop Cantu noted problems like the growing geographic range of tropical diseases, intensifying storms, and rising sea levels that threaten low-level countries and islands.

Poorly regulated mining operations, especially in Latin America, have had “calamitous” public health consequences including birth deformities and premature deaths due to environmental degradation.

These situations can increase violence and pressures to migrate northwards.

In Africa, climate shifts have also worsened drought and desertification, creating pressures that lead to violence, extremism and death.

“Drought in a place like Africa could very well result in the starvation of thousands, if not millions, of people,” Bishop Cantu said.

The bishop also noted the need to protect natural resources to feed humanity.

However, Bishop Cantu criticized what he said is a “false linkage” between ecological problems and population growth. He rejected aggressive population control efforts in developing countries and noted that some ecological problems, like massive greenhouse gas production, are mainly produced by a “small portion” of the world’s population in advanced countries.

He said the real issues in ecology are consumption and waste of resources and unsustainable practices.

Unsustainable practices mean “everyone will suffer from climate impact,” while renewable energy sources and sustainable technology will benefit everyone.

Although there is no advance copy of the encyclical, Archbishop Wenski suggested its outlines can be found in Catholicism’s “rich tradition of teaching about stewardship in creation, rooted in scripture.” He noted precedents in the writings of St. John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI, and Pope Francis.

The archbishop said Catholics have a significant responsibility to ensure the care for creation while resisting a “culture of waste,” working to protect the poor and respecting the “sanctity and dignity of life.”

Archbishop Wenski compared the pollution of waterways to problems like “the pollution of young minds through pornography, or issues like the redefinition of marriage.” These all have effects on “human ecology,” he said.

feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/catholicnewsagency/dailynews?d=yIl2AUoC8zA
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/catholicnewsagency/dailynews/~4/rClZvlmwzto

Full article…
 
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/images/size340/green_plant_environment_via_UnSplash_cnajpg.jpgSt. Louis, Mo., Jun 10, 2015 / 04:18 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- With Pope Francis’ encyclical on ecology and the environment to be released next week, the U.S. bishops are reflecting on possible themes of the upcoming document.

“We can be sure that concern for the poor will be a central theme throughout this encyclical,” Archbishop Thomas Wenski of Miami said June 10. He suggested Catholics should approach ecological topics “with our hearts aimed to the glory of the Creator, and our eyes wide open to the need of our brothers and sisters, including those who come after us.”

Bishop Oscar Cantu of Las Cruces, N.M. likewise reflected on the encyclical’s prospects for providing a global perspective that helps the poor.

“The Church has come to understand that the health of the global family is dependent on the health of its weakest members,” he said. “Poor nations need to develop in order to reduce poverty, but we must help them to follow a more sustainable path to economic development than the one we took.”

Pope Francis’ encyclical, “Laudato Sii,” will be published on June 18.

The two American bishops discussed the upcoming encyclical’s likely themes at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ general assembly in St. Louis. Archbishop Wenski chairs the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, while Bishop Cantu chairs the Committee on International Justice and Peace.

Archbishop Joseph Kurtz of Louisville, the U.S. bishops’ conference president, introduced their presentation. He said that the U.S. bishops welcome the “tremendous opportunity” to help the faithful receive the encyclical in “a thoughtful and prayerful way” and to help “elevate the conversation” above ideological and partisan divides.

Archbishop Wenski said the U.S. bishops can help ensure that Catholics hear Pope Francis.

“Let us work to create space for people of good will to consider the Holy Father’s message. He has a voice that will transcend the partisanship that has characterized much of the debate on climate change.”

The Miami archbishop expected the encyclical to address concepts like “integral ecology,” which explains “our care for one another and for the environment are intimately related.”

He suggested that the Pope will criticize actions that “casually discard people and the gifts of the earth.”

Cooperation with God’s design applies both to people’s relationship to the natural world and to their relationships with one another, Archbishop Wenski explained. People should resist the “throwaway culture” in favor of a culture of “solidarity and encounter.”

Bishop Cantu said an integral approach to ecology links “the welfare of God’s people and God’s creation, of rich and poor, of our nation and the world.”

He expected the encyclical to offer a global perspective. He noted Pope Francis’ repeated calls to counter the “globalization of indifference” with global solidarity.

The encyclical could also reflect on the link between ecology, human security and health.

Bishop Cantu noted problems like the growing geographic range of tropical diseases, intensifying storms, and rising sea levels that threaten low-level countries and islands.

Poorly regulated mining operations, especially in Latin America, have had “calamitous” public health consequences including birth deformities and premature deaths due to environmental degradation.

These situations can increase violence and pressures to migrate northwards.

In Africa, climate shifts have also worsened drought and desertification, creating pressures that lead to violence, extremism and death.
I truly do wonder how some churchmen picture any of this concretely. Maybe they don’t.

Is desertification in Africa due to MMGW or is atmospheric warming there (if any) caused by desertification; the latter being due to terrible agricultural practices.

And should anyone be surprised that the “developed world” uses greatly more energy than other places? After all, it gets cold in most of the “developed world” in the wintertime. Really cold.

But I would certainly not argue that there isn’t a lot of environmental degradation in the third world. In Cdl Turkson’s own country of Ghana, mining is extremely exploitive, with heavy metals released into the environment with abandon. And 1/3 of his country is desertified by bad agricultural practices. If such things are allowed to happen by the rulers in a place like Ghana, what are we supposed to do about it? Ship Mississippi River water there? Conquer the place? What?
 
Catholic World News - July 02, 2015

Pope Francis did not intend to settle any scientific questions in Laudato Si’, according to an Italian bishop who helped draft the encyclical…the Pontiff wanted to offer “reflections on anthropological and ethical issues"…the Holy Father is keenly aware that opinions can change and conclusions “are not irrefutable or incontrovertible,"…“The Church has no competence on the technical and scientific level,”… emphasizing that the focus of the encyclical was on moral rather than scientific questions… catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=25419
 
Catholic World News - July 02, 2015

Pope Francis did not intend to settle any scientific questions in Laudato Si’, according to an Italian bishop who helped draft the encyclical…the Pontiff wanted to offer “reflections on anthropological and ethical issues"…the Holy Father is keenly aware that opinions can change and conclusions “are not irrefutable or incontrovertible,"…“The Church has no competence on the technical and scientific level,”… emphasizing that the focus of the encyclical was on moral rather than scientific questions… catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=25419
Yeah, they remain mute on whether global warming enhances Rossby waves and other cutting edge environmental science that is not completely settled (tho there is some good evidence), but they do completely accept climate change science, which is settled, and in fact call on people to accept it and do something about it.

In fact the Church has often called on people to do something about problems, even when they are not completely settled – for instance JPII calling on us to mitigate global warming in 1990, some five years before studies reached 95% confidence on it in 1995. It’s called prudence.

Of course, for those following the science, global warming has become very well settled and “robust” in the 20 years since then with many proofs from many perspectives.
 
Catholic World News - July 02, 2015

Pope Francis did not intend to settle any scientific questions in Laudato Si’, according to an Italian bishop who helped draft the encyclical…the Pontiff wanted to offer “reflections on anthropological and ethical issues"…
The writers did intend to present the ‘scientific questions’ AS SETTLED SCIENCE.
That’s the only explanation for the exclusion of any dissenting voices.
 
The writers did intend to present the ‘scientific questions’ AS SETTLED SCIENCE.
That’s the only explanation for the exclusion of any dissenting voices.
Bec the “dissenting views” have been disproven over and over and over and over again. The guy was claiming it was the sun that caused the warming. Well, dah, without the sun there wouldn’t be much warming. The guy didn’t know about the greenhouse effect (such as explaining differences on Venus, Earth, and Mars), so obviously he wasn’t much of a “climate scientist” to invite to the Vatican discussion.

Those dissenting views are zombie arguments that keep rising from their graves, even tho they are quite dead.

I understand there are still some people who say the earth is flat and that the sun goes around the earth. I’m not sure if it was a joke, but some 15 years ago I caught the tail end of a radio talk about how the last member of the “flat earth society” had died… But I’m sure someone will resurrect that zombie.
 
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