Pope Francis proposes adding climate action to core Catholic duties

[Eugene]

Source: Reuters

Pope Francis proposes adding climate action to core Catholic duties

Reuters
Thursday 1 September 2016 13.18 BST

Pope Francis has urged Christians to make caring for the environment a core part of their faith as he called for concerted action against ecological degradation and climate change.

“God gave us a bountiful garden, but we have turned it into a polluted wasteland of debris, desolation and filth,” Francis said in a document released to coincide with the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation. He proposed adding care for the natural world to the seven “works of mercy” Catholics are meant to perform.

Francis has placed environmental causes at the heart of his papacy, denouncing what he sees as a throwaway consumer culture, financial greed and rampant, market-driven economies.

“Economics and politics, society and culture cannot be dominated by thinking only of the short-term and immediate financial or electoral gains,” he said, suggesting more ambitious action might be needed to curb climate change.

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Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/sep/01/pope-francis-calls-on-christians-to-embrace-green-agenda

[Goblinmonger]

1. Good for him

I wished he put not being a homophobic bigot at the heart of his papacy.

[trotsky]

2. Let us not forget the "core Catholic duties" include being against reproductive rights,

against marriage equality, and against people choosing their gender identity.

Saving the earth is great but why does that horrible bullshit have to be welded on?

[Brettongarcia]

3. The Church will claim this is not a new position

But I spent years debating with EWTN Catholics. Who asserted over and over that the command to be "fruitful," and to rule the earth, meant that we should abolish birth control. And overpopulate the world. Which I note, produces huge increases in consumption - and pollution.

[okasha]

4. Good.

He is a powerful advocate on this issue. If we don't get this one right, none of the others will matter.