Pope Francis Demands Immediate Action to Halt Global Warming, Save Environment

PatrickJS

New member
Jun 8, 2015
409
0
0
Pope Francis Demands Immediate Action to Halt Global Warming, Save Environment



In an encyclical delivered Thursday, the pope demanded action to save the planet from an environmental cataclysm. He firmly gave his backing to scientists who say that the current climate disaster is man-made.

Pope Francis on Thursday issued an encyclical - usually, an open letter to his bishops - publicly supporting the theory of man-made climate change [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/tag/view/climate?from_search=1], and urging immediate action to halt the on-going disaster.

The pope, as spiritual leader to the world's 1.2 billion Catholics, often consults with heads of state and other figures of power. To many, he is considered to possess a great deal of wisdom - Pope Francis, especially, has been very well-respected in the two years of his position and his popularity continues to grow.

This does not mean that people, Catholics included, will not disagree with him, and the encyclical has had its share of supporters and decriers.

In the U.S., President Barack Obama praised the pope, saying he made the case "clearly, powerfully, and with the full moral authority of his position." Political conservatives spoke out against it - Republican Senator Jim Inhofe said the message "will be used by global warming alarmists to advocate for policies that will equate to the largest... tax increase in our nation's history."

<a href="http://online.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/popereport.pdf
">The 183-page document begins with a reference to Saint Francis of Assisi, the pope's namesake. Saint Francis, among others, was the patron saint of animals and the environment; in stories he is depicted as an ascetic monk, and a friend of birds. Looking at the saint's work, and Pope Francis' choice of name, it seems clear that this issue is something the pope has wanted to speak of for some time.

More from the Escapist on the environment. [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/tag/view/environment?from_search=1]

The pope's declaration comes on the heels of his condemnations of capitalism, especially from earlier this year. For Pope Francis, a sustainable environment and our current economic model cannot co-exist, though some disagree [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/139646-United-Kingdoms-Global-Calculator-Says-Preventing-Climate-Change-Doesnt-Slow-Prosperity]. Certainly, the encyclical itself is condemning of those with power, both political and material. Says Francis, "...those who possess... economic or political power seem mostly to be concerned with masking the problems or concealing their symptoms."

Pope Francis' hope is that the world heed his words - and that may be an achievable dream. For decades, scientists, journalist and politicians have all urged immediate action on the environment, with some successes and many failures to show for it. A spiritual leader, however - not to mention one with nearly 1.2 billion Catholic followers on the planet, and many more listeners - may reach people in a way previous activists couldn't.

<a href="http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/139513-Climate-Change-Why-Global-Warming-Is-a-Glum-Reminder-of-Human-Nature
">Is this the push the world has been needing? Is it all too little, too late?

The pope says rescuing the environment is now a religious and human duty. What do you think?

In an earlier version of this post, I wrote incorrectly about 'infallibility,' and have since removed the paragraph in question.

Source: <a href="http://online.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/popereport.pdf
">Encyclical Letter (via WSJ), Reuters [http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/06/18/us-pope-environment-idUSKBN0OX1LW20150618]


Permalink
 

Mr.Mattress

Level 2 Lumberjack
Jul 17, 2009
3,645
0
0
I mean, I'm a Catholic, and Pope Francis Rocks, but... I just don't think any Current Global Climate Change is caused by Man. Yes, Man is doing a lot to ruin the planet, and has done so in the past. I just don't think any current Global Climate Change has been caused by Man. I haven't seen any convincing proof that Current Climate Change is the result of Man's actions.

Still, I support the Pope for wanting the World to be more Environmentally Friendly. I know this will please many Liberal Catholics (And Liberals in General) worldwide. Me? I'll try to be more Environmentally Friendly, but I'm still skeptical on Man-made Climate Change.
 

CrazyGirl17

I am a banana!
Sep 11, 2009
5,141
0
0
Good on him for wanting to make a difference. Personally, I'm all for protecting the environment, just in case y'know?
 

PatrickJS

New member
Jun 8, 2015
409
0
0
Mr.Mattress said:
Me? I'll try to be more Environmentally Friendly, but I'm still skeptical on Man-made Climate Change.
That is an excellent way to be skeptical and respectful. Thank you
 

BeerTent

Resident Furry Pimp
May 8, 2011
1,167
0
0
Normally, me and the church don't exactly see eye to eye. I have very un-Canadian views on what we should do to all of those little ancient blemishes we see peppering urban centers.

But Pope Francis? This fucker actually gets it. I'd never convert back, but I'm actually liking this pope.

I've been paying attention, looking about. I thought Global Warming / Climate Change wouldn't really affect me in my life-time, but this past winter, where it was violent and crammed over the span of 2 months at different periods is kind of one of those things that make you scratch your head and say "Well, shit." Think about it. Green Christmas, violent storms throughout February, and now summer hits so sudden, it feels like Spring never happened. Is this not weird? Does nobody else think that's a bit funky considering that it was only 15 years ago we had light snow-falls peppering us in November, a few occasional storms, but not anything like what we saw this recent Feburary... We had gradual temperature shifts where I lived... Not, "It's Summer now, lol 30 degrees after a -10 degree day."

I think we should be focusing less on the effects of Climate Change though. There's a much more important question we need to ask. "Is it too late?" I don't want my prediction to be right on that one.
 

Nergui

New member
Dec 13, 2013
96
0
0
Mr.Mattress said:
I mean, I'm a Catholic, and Pope Francis Rocks, but... I just don't think any Current Global Climate Change is caused by Man. Yes, Man is doing a lot to ruin the planet, and has done so in the past. I just don't think any current Global Climate Change has been caused by Man. I haven't seen any convincing proof that Current Climate Change is the result of Man's actions.

Still, I support the Pope for wanting the World to be more Environmentally Friendly. I know this will please many Liberal Catholics (And Liberals in General) worldwide. Me? I'll try to be more Environmentally Friendly, but I'm still skeptical on Man-made Climate Change.
The classic "Let's reject the science because I don't accept it." assertion. This is not unlike the "Let's keep smoking because there's no proof it's bad for us" assertion.

A better way of presenting climate change theory -
If wrong - no problem.
If right - BIG problem.

Unless you can state categorically and beyond any possibility of doubt that human greenhouse gas emissions have no effect, doing nothing might eventually reach a point where nothing can be done. Billions of lives depend on the science being wrong.
 

persephone

Poisoned by Pomegranates
May 2, 2012
165
0
0
Papal infallibility is NOT "what the pope says, goes."

Saying that "his stance on faith and morality are to be held by the entire church" is a gross oversimplification. Papal infallibility applies very rarely, and "faith and morals" isn't really going to apply to an environmental stance. Nor will an environmental encyclical meet the other qualifications needed for papal infallibility.

Look here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papal_infallibility#Conditions_for_teachings_being_declared_infallible

And if you want a reference that's better than wikipedia, I checked with someone I know who has an actual degree in Catholic theology on this.

Please revise this article immediately. Things said in encyclicals are not all infallible, nor does the pope "possess" infallibility. Period.
 

Amir Kondori

New member
Apr 11, 2013
932
0
0
Mr.Mattress said:
I mean, I'm a Catholic, and Pope Francis Rocks, but... I just don't think any Current Global Climate Change is caused by Man. Yes, Man is doing a lot to ruin the planet, and has done so in the past. I just don't think any current Global Climate Change has been caused by Man. I haven't seen any convincing proof that Current Climate Change is the result of Man's actions.

Still, I support the Pope for wanting the World to be more Environmentally Friendly. I know this will please many Liberal Catholics (And Liberals in General) worldwide. Me? I'll try to be more Environmentally Friendly, but I'm still skeptical on Man-made Climate Change.
Where did you look for the proof? Because you just have to go down to your local university and have a sit down with someone in the science department and they will explain the temperature changes, carbon emissions, how they relate to historic patterns, etc.

The evidence is there and there is a WIDE consensus among scientists that global warming is a real and man made event. They also believe it is already too late to stop the damage it will cause and at best, if we act now, which we won't, the best we can do is minimize its impact. We are already seeing a major extinction event happening before our very eyes, it feels like a lot of the doom and gloom about humanity's impact on the globe is going to play over the next fifty years as we all watch.
 

The Rogue Wolf

Stealthy Carnivore
Legacy
Nov 25, 2007
16,302
8,778
118
Stalking the Digital Tundra
Gender
✅
I've seen comments from some "conservatives" actually accusing the Pope of being "on the take" from some shadowy cabal of environmental scientists who are apparently all lying about climate change just to get grant money.

I think they just want another guy in a funny hat saying "hey, do what you want, guys, God's totally cool with it. Lol."
 

ShermTank7272

Regular Member
Feb 5, 2013
22
0
11
PatrickJS said:
In Catholic dogma, the pope possesses infallibility; this means that his stance on faith and morality are to be held by the entire church. In short: what the pope says, goes.
The infallibility thing isn't entirely true. In encyclicals like this, the Pope is held in high moral regard and is probably right, but is not infallible. Papal Infallibility is only possible if the pope is speaking 1) with the Holy Spirit, 2) while wearing the papal crown, and 3) while on the throne of Peter.

That shouldn't diminish the value of his words, but I just want to put it out there that he is not technically infallible in this regard.
 

EndlessSporadic

New member
May 20, 2009
276
0
0
As George Carlin says, global warming and greenhouse gases are not damaging the environment. They are damaging the people. The Earth couldn't care less about what's happening - it's survived much worse. All of the damage is caused by humans and affects only humans. That's the only reason we care. The environment doesn't need saving. The people do.
 

Rylot

New member
May 14, 2010
1,819
0
0
...The fuck? The Papacy has thrown it's weight behind climate change? Is it fucking opposite day? That's pretty damn awesome. Hopefully this might start to convince some of America's conservatives... Or maybe not...
 

Floppertje

New member
Nov 9, 2009
1,056
0
0
ShermTank7272 said:
PatrickJS said:
In Catholic dogma, the pope possesses infallibility; this means that his stance on faith and morality are to be held by the entire church. In short: what the pope says, goes.
The infallibility thing isn't entirely true. In encyclicals like this, the Pope is held in high moral regard and is probably right, but is not infallible. Papal Infallibility is only possible if the pope is speaking 1) with the Holy Spirit, 2) while wearing the papal crown, and 3) while on the throne of Peter.

That shouldn't diminish the value of his words, but I just want to put it out there that he is not technically infallible in this regard.
That strikes me as a little curious. He's only infallible if he's wearing a specific hat and while sitting on a specific chair? If, as I presume catholics believe, he knows what God wants, isn't he infallible all the time, regardless of his wardrobe or exact physical location? I'm not trying to be disrespectful, it just seems a little strange to draw the line there. And what does 'speaking with the holy spirit' mean exactly? Is that talking with God or when God is using the pope's mouth?

As much as I dislike the idea of organized religion, this pope actually seems pretty good. Very progressive and humble. Kind of a shame now he doesn't hold any actual authority.
 

The Material Sheep

New member
Nov 12, 2009
339
0
0
The Rogue Wolf said:
I've seen comments from some "conservatives" actually accusing the Pope of being "on the take" from some shadowy cabal of environmental scientists who are apparently all lying about climate change just to get grant money.

I think they just want another guy in a funny hat saying "hey, do what you want, guys, God's totally cool with it. Lol."
Gods telling you what to do on plenty of things for these people. He use to tell you that gays are bad, and still tells everybody that abortion is bad. He's now telling us that global warming is bad. Right or wrong the pope is always going to be using god to tell people to do whatever the pope thinks is moral at the time.
 

FalloutJack

Bah weep grah nah neep ninny bom
Nov 20, 2008
15,489
0
0
I gotta say, Pope Francis is gutsy (in his own way). I like his style. Really, Popes of late have been getting more interesting lately. I dunno how people in general are gonna take this, but I'm alright with it.
 

TallanKhan

New member
Aug 13, 2009
790
0
0
My position is, and always has been, that the exertion of religious influence is a negative thing as it encourages adherence to dogma rather than rational thought and the exercise of individual judgement. To that end, regardless of how worthy or unworthy the individual cause he chooses to speak about, to my mind, the pope telling anyone to do anything is of itself an overwhelmingly negative thing for society.
 

Sean Renaud

New member
Apr 12, 2011
120
0
0
EndlessSporadic said:
As George Carlin says, global warming and greenhouse gases are not damaging the environment. They are damaging the people. The Earth couldn't care less about what's happening - it's survived much worse. All of the damage is caused by humans and affects only humans. That's the only reason we care. The environment doesn't need saving. The people do.
He did not say we are not damaging the environment. He said we aren't destroying the planet which as you correctly point out is kinda beside the point. I'm a person. A planet that people can't survive on is a destroyed planet by any definition I care about. Too hot, too cold or blown up by the Death Star if I can't grow my food there and build my house there the planet is destroyed.
 

Kingjackl

New member
Nov 18, 2009
1,041
0
0
It's a sad time if you live in Australia at the moment, where the Catholic Church is more progressive than the current government.
 

Scars Unseen

^ ^ v v < > < > B A
May 7, 2009
3,028
0
0
EndlessSporadic said:
As George Carlin says, global warming and greenhouse gases are not damaging the environment. They are damaging the people. The Earth couldn't care less about what's happening - it's survived much worse. All of the damage is caused by humans and affects only humans. That's the only reason we care. The environment doesn't need saving. The people do.
George Carlin must have overlooked the fact that we are not the only species living on this rock. And the environment is mostly made up of those species. Even if our own fate wasn't something we should be concerned about - and since we aren't consciously suicidal as a species, it is - climate change is still having a destructive effect on the environment.
 

Bernzz

Assumed Lurker
Legacy
Mar 27, 2009
1,655
3
43
Country
Australia
Gender
Male
Kingjackl said:
It's a sad time if you live in Australia at the moment, where the Catholic Church is more progressive than the current government.
I'm hoping that if the word of scientists around the world hasn't convinced Mr. Abbott and his largely Catholic government, maybe the opinion of someone he actually respects ('cos he sure as hell doesn't respect science) might make him change his tune.

Or he might just shove his head further in the sand and compliment coal some more. Who knows?