Pope's Encyclical on Climate Change



Pope Francis issued his new encyclical on climate change yesterday. He called on the people of the world to care for our precious planet and stated in no uncertain terms that humans are responsible for the disappearance of thousands of species, for the melting of the ice caps, for upsetting the balance of nature. He also pointed out that it is the poor who suffer most from these changes since they usually live closest to the upheavals of the atmosphere. His message is urgent and insistent. He may not be a scientist, but most scientists and environmentalists agree he has his information correct. Religious and other concerned leaders applaud his words and urge the world to listen. Those who deny the evidence of global warming do so to their own detriment and the detriment of all who call this planet home. We can no longer bury our heads in the sand. Future generations will hold us responsible for knowing what our destructive actions are causing, and doing nothing. Pope Francis calls us to an "ecological conversion," where we look upon all creatures with love and overcome our selfishness, neglect, and indifference to creation. At the conclusion of his letter he prays:
All-powerful God, you are present in the whole universe
and in the smallest of your creatures.
You embrace with your tenderness all that exists.
Pour out upon us the power of your love,
that we may protect life and beauty.
Fill us with peace, that we may live
as brothers and sisters, harming no one.



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