9 Themes to understand everything at the encyclical of Pope Francis
Our planet is a gift, not due
If man, created in the image of God, has the mission of “cultivating and keeping” the earth (GN 2, 15), he is only the intendant, not the master.
“The harmony between the Creator, humanity and the whole of creation was destroyed by having pretended to take the place of God, by refusing to recognize us as limited creatures (§ 66). We are not God. The earth precedes us and was given to us (…). Each community can take the goodness of the earth what is necessary to survive, but it also has the duty to save it and guarantee the continuity of its fertility for future generations (§ 67). »»
All inhabited by the Spirit
It is not a question of sacred nature, but of recognizing that it shares with humanity the same mystery of life and existence.
“Human beings, endowed with intelligence and love, attracted by the fullness of Christ, is called upon to renew all creatures to their Creator (§ 83).
The whole material universe is a language of the love of God, of his tenderness disproportionate to us (§ 84).
In all creatures lives in his invigorating spirit which calls us to a relationship with him (§ 88).
(…) Created by the same father, we and all the beings of the universe, are united by invisible links, and form a kind of universal family (§ 89).
A person from the Trinity has inserted in the Cosmos created, by linking their fate to the cross. From the beginning of the world, but in a particular way since the incarnation, the mystery of Christ secretly operates in the whole of natural reality, without affecting its autonomy (§ 99). Eternal life will be a shared wonder, where each creature, transformed in a luminous way, will occupy its place (§ 243). »»
A community of destiny
The loss of biodiversity is a scandal. We deprive ourselves of a precious heritage and a gift from God.
“Our common house is like a sister, with which we share existence and like a mother, beautiful, who welcomes us with open arms (§ 1).
Each year, thousands of plant and animal species disappear that we can no longer know, that our children will not be able to see, lost forever (…). Because of us, thousands of species will no longer make glory to God by their lives and will no longer be able to communicate their own message to us. We do not have the right (§ 33). »»
The poor: far from the eyes, far from the heart
Behind global statistics on poverty, unemployment, migration, there are concrete people.
“Often we do not have a clear awareness of the problems that particularly affect the excluded. They are most of the planet, thousands of millions of people. Today, they are present in international political and economic debates, but it often seems that their problems arise (…) in a marginal way.
In fact, at the time of concrete action, they are frequently relegated to the last place. This is due in part to the fact that many professionals, opinion leaders, means of communication and power centers are located far from them (…) (§ 49).
Let us not only think of the poor of the future, let us already remember the poor today, who have a few years of life on this earth and who cannot continue to wait (§ 162). »»
A call for consistency
Defend endangered species, yes! But without forgetting the human embryo.
“The inconsistency is obvious on the part of the one who fights against the trafficking of extinction but who remains completely indifferent to the trafficking of people, is disinterested in the poor, or is working to destroy another human being who displeases him. This jeopardizes the sense of environment for the environment. (§ 93)
When one does not recognize, in reality, the value of a poor, a human embryo, a person living a situation of disability-to take only a few examples-we will hardly listen to the cries of nature itself. Everything is linked. (§ 117)
The School of Little Gestures
Small gestures do not save the planet. But they change our attention to others.
“If a person is used to covering himself a little instead of lighting the heating, while his economic situation would allow him to consume and spend more, this assumes that he has integrated convictions and feelings favorable to the preservation of the environment. Completing the duty to safeguard creation by small daily actions is very noble, and it is wonderful that education is able to arouse them until they make a lifestyle. »(§ 211)
What if we slowed down?
Growth does not make sense if it flouts social justice.
“No one pretends to want to return to the cave time, however it is essential to slow down walking to look at reality in another way, collect positive and lasting advances, and at the same time recover the values and the great purposes that have been destroyed by a megalomaniac frenzy (§ 114).
We know that the behavior of those who consume and destroy more more is not sustainable, while others cannot live in accordance with their human dignity. This is why the time has come to accept a certain decrease in some parts of the world, providing resources for healthy growth in other parties (§ 193). »»
Beauty will save the world
Contemplation of the world is a path of spiritual life.
“The universe unfolds in God, which fills it entirely. So there is a mysticism in a sheet, in a path, in dew, in the poor’s face. The ideal is not only to switch from the outside inside to discover the action of God in the soul, but also to manage to find it in everything (§ 233). »»
Deputy … or responsible?
Promoting global governance of ecological issues is urgent. Religious, scientists and environmentalists also have to enter into dialogue.
“A superficial or apparent ecology is developing, which consolidates a certain rotteny and a joyful irresponsibility. As usually happens to the eras of deep crises which require courageous decisions, we are tempted to think that what is happening is not certain (§ 59).
The 21st century (…) is the scene of a weakening of the power of national states, especially because the economic and financial dimension, of transnational character, tends to predominate on politics. In this context, (the) international institutions (…) must be stronger and effectively organized, and endowed to sanction (§175).
The majority of the inhabitants of the planet declare themselves believing, and this should encourage religions to enter into a dialogue with a view to the safeguarding of nature, the defense of the poor, the construction of networks of respect and fraternity. A dialogue between the sciences themselves is also necessary because each is used to locking themselves up within the limits of their own language (…).
An open and respectful dialogue also becomes necessary between the different environmental movements, where there is no shortage of ideological struggles. The severity of the ecological crisis requires that all of us think of the common good and advanced on a path of dialogue which requires patience, asceticism and generosity, always remembering that “reality is greater than the idea” (§ 201). »»
