June 2018 SPECIAL EDITION July 2015 Issue | Page 5

July 2015

Why People of All Faiths Should Read
Pope Francis’ New Encyclical
An encyclical is a fancy word for a letter written by the pope to the
bishops and all the members of the church. Pope Francis wrote this one to
“every person living on this planet” (LS 1).
Even if you’ve never read an encyclical (or can’t even pronounce the
word), you need to read this one. It’s thought-provoking, inspiring, and very
easy to understand. Pope Francis paints a vivid picture of our earth in its current
broken state, how we have neglected to care for it, and how this global problem
needs a global solution for the common good. He also explains our roles as
stewards of the earth.
At the end of the encyclical, he includes two prayers; one for all who
believe in a God who is the all-powerful Creator, and the other, a Christian
prayer.
You can read it online HERE, or purchase a printed copy from West
Bank Religious Supply, 5100 West Bank Expressway, Marrero, 504-341-6558.
To pique your curiosity, check out the key points below.
1. The opening line, quoting St. Francis of Assisi:
“Praise be to you, my Lord!” (Laudato Si’ 1-2)
2. Environmental destruction comes from the same
evil that leads to social destruction: moral relativity
(LS 6)
3. The Pope’s appeal to the world: we all must work
together to protect our planet (LS 14)
4. Pollution hurts the poor and is linked to the
“throwaway culture” (LS 20, 22)
5. The climate is a “common good” (LS 23)
6. A scientific consensus says climate change is real
and is caused at least in part by human activity (LS
23)
7. The poor are hurt the most by climate change (LS
25)
8. Access to clean drinking water is a human right
(LS 29-30)
9. Creatures are not just resources, but have value in
and of themselves and give glory to God (LS 33)
10. Care for creation must stand together with care
for the poor (LS 49)
11. Overpopulation is not the problem (LS 50)
12. Avoid extremes of thinking technology will
solve everything or that humans themselves are the
problem (LS 60)
13. The Church doesn’t mean to stifle honest
scientific debate (LS 61; 188)

14. Science isn’t enough, we must also factor in the Gospel
(LS 62-63)
15. “Creation” has a broader meaning than “nature” (LS
76)
16. Human beings cannot be fully explained by evolution
(LS 81)
17. No creature is superfluous, all of creation speaks of
God’s love (LS 84)
18. Technological progress is not identical with human
progress (LS 113-114)
19. Concern for nature is incompatible with abortion and
human experimentation (LS 120, 136)
20. We must acknowledge and respect the differences
between men and women (LS 155)
21. Care for the environment is a matter of
intergenerational justice (LS 159)
22. The richest countries should shoulder the main burden
of caring for the environment (LS 170)
23. Market forces alone won’t protect the environment (LS
190)
24. When it comes to progress, sometimes less is more (LS
191, 193, 194)
25. Christians need an ecological conversion (LS 217)
26. Discover God in all things (LS 223)
Key Points Taken from http://www.churchpop.com/2015/06/18/26-key-quotes-frompope-francis-encyclical-on-the-environment-laudato-si/

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