The Tuul River south of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, is seen in this photo from Sept. 1, 2023. (CNS photo/Lola Gomez)Pope Francis warns the clock is ticking on the dangers of climate change -- and both a paradigm shift and practical action are critically needed to avert looming disasters in nature and human society.
The pope released his new apostolic exhortation "Laudate Deum" (“Praise God”) Oct. 4 as a follow-up to his 2015 encyclical "Laudato Si', On Care for Our Common Home." The exhortation's publication coincided with the feast of St. Francis of Assisi, patron of ecology, whose famous canticle inspired the title of "Laudato Si'."
Though only about one-fifth the length of "Laudato Si'" (which it references extensively), the exhortation's message is even more urgent, since "the world in which we live is collapsing and may be nearing the breaking point," wrote Pope Francis. "Climate change is one of the principal challenges facing society and the global community."
The text reiterates key messages that have resonated throughout Pope Francis' papacy -- among them, concern for the marginalized, care for creation, human ecology and a "synodal" approach to resolving global problems.
With "the effects … borne by the most vulnerable people," the issue of climate change is "one intimately related to the dignity of human life," he said.
Addressed to "all people of good will," the exhortation declares that "it is no longer possible to doubt the human … origin of climate change," citing data from sources such as the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
While noting that "not every concrete catastrophe" is due to global climate change, humans bear responsibility for specific changes that have led to "extreme phenomena" -- such as storms, heat waves and flooding -- that are "increasingly frequent and intense," said the pope.
He pointed to rapid, human-driven upticks in greenhouse gas emissions, which trap radiation from the sun in earth's atmosphere and warm the planet. The global average temperature -- a metric that tracks changes in the earth's surface temperature against long-term averages for a given location and date -- has risen over the past 50 years in particular, at a rate that could approach the recommended ceiling of 1.5 degrees Celsius in just 10 years, said the pope.
That acceleration has a profound impact, causing dangerous shifts in climate and weather with effects ultimately felt "in the areas of healthcare, sources of employment, access to resources, housing (and) forced migrations," Pope Francis said.
He challenged "resistance and confusion" regarding climate change, "even within the Catholic Church," stressing that "the overwhelming majority of scientists specializing in the climate" support the correlation between global climate phenomena and spikes in greenhouse gas emissions.
Pope Francis said the planet itself has become a mirror of a deeply flawed view of human life and activity. Such a "technocratic paradigm" (as the pope described it in "Laudato Si'") exalts technological and economic power as sources of reality, goodness and truth, promising unlimited potential if methodically developed.
In recent years, that paradigm has advanced still further, with a goal of "(increasing) human power beyond anything imaginable, before which nonhuman reality is a mere resource at its disposal," he said.
Yet "not every increase in power represents progress for humanity," said the pope, especially since (as he wrote in "Laudato Si'") "we cannot claim to have a sound ethics, a culture and spirituality genuinely capable of setting limits and teaching clear-minded self-restraint."
The poor pay the highest price while inflicting the least damage on the planet, said Pope Francis, citing the United Nations Environment Programme's 2022 Emissions Gap Report, which found that per capita greenhouse gas emissions of richer countries far exceed those of poorer ones.
The question of human power itself must be reexamined, and "human beings must be recognized as a part of nature," the pope said, stressing that "everything is connected" and "no one is saved alone."
Lamenting the "weakness of international politics" in addressing climate change, Pope Francis drew on his 2020 encyclical "Fratelli Tutti" to call for a "reconfigured multilateralism" -- one "not dependent on changing political conditions or the interests of a few," but possessing a "stable efficacy" that can resolve "the real problems of humanity" by placing "the dignity of persons" before all.
International climate conferences held over the past several decades have had mixed results, said Pope Francis, labeling some as "failures" and others, such as the U.N.'s 1997 COP3 (Conference of the Parties 3) in Kyoto -- which sought to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 5% by 2012 -- as noteworthy. While the Kyoto goal was not met, the 2015 COP21 in Paris marked "a new beginning," said the pope, as it aimed to hold the increase of average global temperatures to under 2 and, eventually, 1.5 degrees Celsius.
The COVID-19 pandemic and Russia's war in Ukraine both hindered progress in tackling global warming, said Pope Francis.
He said COP28, set to take place Nov. 30-Dec. 12 in Dubai, will either prove to be a turning point for decisive action or "a great disappointment" that imperils any progress made so far.
"Binding forms of energy transition" that are "efficient, obligatory and readily monitored" are essential, said Pope Francis, as "the necessary transition towards clean energy sources such as wind and solar energy, and the abandonment of fossil fuels, is not progressing at the necessary speed."
The pope invited Catholics and those of other faiths to recall their "spiritual motivations" for addressing the climate crisis, asking "everyone to accompany this pilgrimage of reconciliation with the world that is our home and to help make it more beautiful, because that commitment has to do with our personal dignity and highest values."
Humility is essential in this journey, he said, "for when human beings claim to take God's place they become their own worst enemies."
— Gina Christian
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Pope, in document on climate crisis, criticizes science 'deniers'
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Pope, in document on climate crisis, criticizes science 'deniers'
VATICAN CITY —After warning the world against ignoring the cries of the earth and the poor with his 2015 encyclical, "Laudato Si', On Care for Our Common Home," Pope Francis intensified his critique with "Laudate Deum" ("Praise God"), warning against the selfish obsession with human power and the "irresponsible derision" of the reality of climate change.
"When human beings claim to take God's place, they become their own worst enemies," he said, explaining the title of the document released at the Vatican Oct. 4, the feast of St. Francis of Assisi, patron saint of ecology.
The new document, addressed "to all people of good will on the climate crisis," is a follow-up to "clarify and complete" his 2015 encyclical because, he wrote, over the past eight years, "our responses have not been adequate, while the world in which we live is collapsing and may be nearing the breaking point."
The bulk of the 15-page "apostolic exhortation" is dedicated to a severe rebuke of the "resistance and confusion" regarding the global climate crisis and its link to human activity as well as of the growing "technocratic paradigm underlying the current process of environmental decay."
"I feel obliged to make these clarifications, which may appear obvious, because of certain dismissive and scarcely reasonable opinions that I encounter, even within the Catholic Church," he wrote.
In fact, the Pew Research Center released survey results Sept. 28 reporting that U.S. Catholics' views on climate change are similar to those of the general public. A majority of U.S. adults -- 54% -- described climate change as a major threat to the country’s well-being, but it remains a lower priority than other issues, the survey showed.
"Despite all attempts to deny, conceal, gloss over or relativize the issue, the signs of climate change are here and increasingly evident," the pope wrote, detailing the serious and irreversible damage already done and "dangerous changes" underway according to evidence supported by most scientists specializing in climate science.
"Only a very small percentage of them seek to deny the evidence," he added.
The pope blamed the resistance and confusion about the climate crisis on the lack of information on climate science, people choosing to "deride" facts and "ridicule those who speak of global warming," and inertia or indifference by "the great economic powers, whose concern is with the greatest profit possible at minimal cost and in the shortest amount of time."
Consequently, the pope wrote, "a broader perspective is urgently needed, one that can enable us to esteem the marvels of progress, but also to pay serious attention to other effects that were probably unimaginable a century ago."
People need to assume "responsibility for the legacy we will leave behind" and let go of this "technocratic paradigm" that believes "goodness and truth automatically flow from technological and economic power" and pursues "infinite or unlimited growth."
The great problem, he wrote, is an "ideology underlying an obsession: to increase human power beyond anything imaginable, before which nonhuman reality is a mere resource at its disposal."
"Everything that exists ceases to be a gift for which we should be thankful, esteem and cherish, and instead becomes a slave, prey to any whim of the human mind and its capacities," he wrote.
"Never has humanity had such power over itself, yet nothing ensures that it will be used wisely, particularly when we consider how it is currently being used," he wrote.
Pope Francis called for "rethinking our use of power," which requires an increased sense of responsibility, values and conscience with "sound ethics, a culture and spirituality genuinely capable of setting limits and teaching clear-minded self-restraint."
Also, unhealthy notions about hard work, talent and "meritocracy" without "a genuine equality of opportunity" can easily become "a screen that further consolidates the privileges of a few with great power," he wrote. "In this perverse logic, why should they care about the damage done to our common home, if they feel securely shielded by the financial resources that they have earned by their abilities and effort?"
A healthy ecology requires a healthier relationship "between human beings and the environment, as occurs in the Indigenous cultures," and a more humane economy, which is not ruled by "the mentality of maximum gain at minimal cost," but shows "sincere concern for our common home" and assists "the poor and the needy discarded by our society," he wrote.
The pope appealed for more effective international organizations that have the authority and power to provide for the global common good, eliminate hunger and poverty, and defend fundamental human rights.
He also called for a new kind of international, multilateral cooperation and action in which "groups and organizations within civil society help to compensate for the shortcomings of the international community."
Pope Francis also encouraged activists from different countries put pressure "from below" on the varying elites and "sources of power."
"It is no longer helpful for us to support institutions in order to preserve the rights of the more powerful without caring for those of all," he added.
With world leaders set to meet at the 28th U.N. Climate Change Conference in Dubai Nov. 30-Dec. 12, Pope Francis said that "this conference can represent a change of direction, showing that everything done since 1992 was in fact serious and worth the effort, or else it will be a great disappointment and jeopardize whatever good has been achieved thus far."
COP-28 will need to present "binding forms of energy transition" that are "efficient, obligatory and readily monitored," he wrote, and this transition must be "drastic, intense and count on the commitment of all."
He urged individuals and families to be active in exercising healthy pressure on leaders.
If the actions of groups "negatively portrayed as 'radicalized' tend to attract attention" at these conferences, he added, "in reality they are filling a space left empty by society as a whole."
"It is necessary to be honest and recognize that the most effective solutions will not come from individual efforts alone, but above all from major political decisions on the national and international level," the pope wrote.
He encouraged people, especially those with an "irresponsible lifestyle connected with the Western model," to reduce pollution and waste, and "consume with prudence." Even though these everyday actions will not produce an immediate, notable effect on climate change, "we are helping to bring about large processes of transformation" and a new culture of care.
"Let us put an end to the irresponsible derision that would present this issue as something purely ecological, 'green,' romantic, frequently subject to ridicule by economic interests," he wrote. "Let us finally admit that it is a human and social problem on any number of levels."
— Carol Glatz
'Laudate Deum' a 'timely call' to 'choose life or death,' say Catholic ecological advocates
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'Laudate Deum' a 'timely call' to 'choose life or death,' say Catholic ecological advocates
Pope Francis' latest plea to urgently address global warming and climate change is being hailed by Catholic ecological advocates as "a great call to action."
On Oct. 4, the pope released his apostolic exhortation "Laudate Deum" ("Praise God"), warning that the clock is ticking on the dangers of climate change -- and both a paradigm shift and practical strategies are critically needed to avert looming disasters in nature and human society.
In the exhortation, which follows his 2015 encyclical "Laudato Si': On Care for Our Common Home, Pope Francis said "the world in which we live is collapsing and may be nearing the breaking point" due to climate change, "one of the principal challenges facing society and the global community."
With the global average temperature rapidly rising to greenhouse gas emissions, extreme weather and dramatic climate shifts have impacted millions, particularly the impoverished, said the pope, who also lamented an international inertia in reining in emissions.
The new exhortation is "timely," said Tomás Insua, co-founder and executive director of the nonprofit Laudato Si' Movement, which works through close to 900 member organizations in 115 countries to foster a Catholic approach to the care of the environment.
Insua, who is based in Rome, told OSV News that the pope's message underscores how "it's a deeply Christian thing to be concerned for God's beloved creation (and) … deeply rooted in this very biblical love of creation."
"Laudate Deum" relies on "stark language" to convey the grave impact of global warming on weather and climate, said Dan Misleh, founder of the Catholic Climate Covenant, a Washington-based nonprofit that works with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops on ecological awareness and advocacy.
"My thoughts are that Pope Francis is heartbroken," Misleh told OSV News. "He wrote 'Laudato Si'' eight years ago. And here we are in 2023 … and he's saying, 'We just need to do more. We have no more excuses for inaction.'"
The direct tone of "Laudate Deum" speaks to people -- among them, Catholics -- who reject scientific evidence supporting global warming, said both Insua and Misleh.
"The pope is reminding us that what the scientists are telling us is really a crisis," said Insua. "One of the misleading things about (the term) 'climate change' is that 'change' is a word that is neutral. It could be positive or negative. … By using the word 'crisis' instead of just mere 'change,' (Pope Francis) is reminding us that this change is actually very harmful. It's our most vulnerable, the poorest of our brothers and sisters, and our children and grandchildren who pay the costs (of global warming) most (of all). So we have to take it seriously."
Bishop Joseph J. Tyson of Yakima, Washington, episcopal moderator for Catholic Climate Covenant, told OSV News he knows firsthand the impact of climate change.
During a pastoral visit two years ago to a parish in that state, he witnessed "the entire town … encircled by flames" from field fires sparked due to lack of rainfall. The blazes displaced some 15 parish families, even as "waves of smoke" drifted from Canada from other fires, creating hazardous working conditions for nearby fieldworkers harvesting fruits.
Like Pope Francis, Bishop Tyson decried "the lack of progress by our society, including our church, in addressing this crisis.
"Our excuse can’t be a lack of knowledge, since so many in the scientific community have been warning us of an impending 'climate crisis,'" he said. "Nor should our response be apathy -- current and future generations have little patience for inaction. Financial costs and inconvenience are also off the table -- practical energy efficiency and renewable energy efforts often save money and make our buildings healthier and better performing."
In an Oct. 4 reflection published by the Trenton Monitor, Bishop David M. O'Connell of Trenton, New Jersey, predicted that some faithful would balk at "Laudate Deum," and stressed that "the Holy Father’s call for all people, especially people of faith, to be stewards of our 'common home' is not a negligible part of our faith and morality."
"If the believer ignores responsibility for the world in which we live, the resources it provides and the people with whom we share them, what can we possibly expect from those who do not believe?" said Bishop O'Connell. "If we show no regard or respect for the divine plan for creation, what can we say of human plans, human possibilities, human hopes for a sustainable future?"
He noted that as an apostolic exhortation, "Laudate Deum" is "a magisterial document that ranks third in importance of papal teachings after apostolic constitutions and encyclicals."
Pope Francis' insights align with previous papal calls from St. John Paul II and St. Paul VI for "the importance of our dialogue between faith and science," which is "a longstanding Catholic tradition," and for environmental stewardship, said Insua.
"I pray that the Holy Father’s vigilant attention to the threats to our “common home” -- which fundamentally includes every human life -- falls upon fertile ground, converting our hearts and inspiring us all to do whatever we can to make a positive difference," said Bishop O'Connell.
That transformation will require increased pastoral formation on care for creation, said Misleh.
"I think part of (the problem) is that it's not being preached in churches," he said. "There's not a lot of good catechesis for the Catholic faithful on these issues. They see this as a distraction or a secondary part of … how to act in their faith. They're more concerned about other issues."
Misleh and Insua both highlighted the new exhortation's emphasis on the need to understand humanity's rightful role in creation.
"It's a little bit paradoxical that (the pope's) message here is addressed to all people of goodwill, and the very title of the document is 'Praise God' (in Latin)," said Insua. "Pope Francis is engaging with all people of goodwill, but he's doing it from a Christian perspective. And in the choice of the title, (he is) putting God squarely in the middle as the point of reference for all of our environmental concern. All these questions are to be firmly grounded in God and reminding ourselves that we are creatures."
Misleh agreed, saying that as in "Laudato Si'," Pope Francis pointed to "three relationships that we need to pay attention to: our relationship with God, our relationship with each other and our relationship with creation. And what Pope Francis is saying is that when any of those three relationships are not tended to, the other two suffer."
Misleh said the new exhortation's call was prophetic, evoking the words of the Lord, spoken through Moses, to the ancient Israelites as recorded in Deuteronomy 30:19: "I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. Choose life, then, that you and your descendants may live."
— Gina Christian