‘Laudate Deum’ a ‘timely call’ to ‘choose life or death,’ say Catholic ecological advocates

Gina Christian • October 9, 2023

(OSV News) — 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.


Rooted in Biblical love of creation

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.”


Seeing the impact of climate change

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.”


What is an apostolic exhortation?

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.”


Continuity of papal teaching on the environment

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.”


Understanding humanity’s role

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.”



This article comes to you from Our Sunday Visitor courtesy of your parish or diocese.

October 10, 2023

October 10, 2023
Lk 10:38-42 The story of Jesus’ encounter with Martha and Mary and the parable of the good Samaritan from yesterday’s Gospel, illustrate the Greatest Commandment, love of God and love of neighbor. For a disciple love of God must always come first and lead to care for neighbor. Loving God, you reveal to us those times when our priorities are not as they should be. Help us to place you at the center of our lives. This content comes to you from Our Sunday Visitor courtesy of your parish or diocese.

Compassion

October 10, 2023
“[God] has compassion; he has compassion for all of us; he has compassion for humanity and sent his Son to heal, to regenerate, to recreate, and to renew it.” — Pope Francis Reflection: Where do see evidence of God’s compassion for humanity today? What places are in most need of Christ’s healing and renewal? Bring these to prayer as a sign of your compassion for all.  This content comes to you from Our Sunday Visitor courtesy of your parish or diocese.

‘Laudate Deum’ a ‘timely call’ to ‘choose life or death,’ say Catholic ecological advocates

By Gina Christian • October 9, 2023
(OSV News) — 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. Rooted in Biblical love of creation 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.” Seeing the impact of climate change 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.” What is an apostolic exhortation? 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.” Continuity of papal teaching on the environment 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.” Understanding humanity’s role 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.” This article comes to you from Our Sunday Visitor courtesy of your parish or diocese. 

Choosing Life

October 9, 2023
Creator God, you are author of every single life. Help us to view all people as you see them and to build a culture of love where all are valued and no life is in danger of being “thrown away.” Amen.  This content comes to you from Our Sunday Visitor courtesy of your parish or diocese.

Do you desire peace?

By Father Joshua J. Whitfield • October 6, 2023
Let’s think about Paul’s words, his astounding invitation to be anxious about nothing at all (Phil 4:6). How’s that going for you? Listening to parishioners, to penitents in the confessional, to my mailman the other day, from what I can tell, not well at all. The world is frightening, more frightening than it was, many feel. That’s what I hear constantly. Culture wars, real wars, climate change, COVID-19 again, civil strife, synodal hopes and fears, and finances, all conspire to unsettle many of us. I get it; I’m unsettled at times, too. Sometimes, even I ask myself where on earth is that peace beyond understanding? How can I find it? Is it actually real? Of course, the simple answer — however, it seems at times counterfactual — is that yes, the peace Paul wrote about is real. But you must look for it. Hence, Paul’s plainly practical advice: “[W]hatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things” (Phil 4:8). Again, notice how concrete this advice is. If we put it in negative terms, refitted for our own time, then perhaps Paul’s advice would go something like this: “Stop doomscrolling , stop watching cable news, pay a lot less attention to politics, let go of your fascination with every ugly new scandal.” Now, this, believe it or not, is good advice immediately applicable. Those who have taken it have been the better for it. Thomas Merton, for instance, wrote that he always preferred to take the news “slightly stale,” that is, never as “breaking” news. “The news reaches me in the long run through books and magazines, and no longer as a stimulant,” he said. He said being addicted to the news was like being addicted to cigarettes, a hard habit to kick. However, with a little effort, the “need for this habitual indulgence disappears.” You discover you no longer really need to hear much. And then you’re a little closer to that peace you’re looking for. Rooted in our home soil But isn’t that irresponsible? Shouldn’t we inform ourselves to be good global citizens? Sure, but perhaps not so much, not constantly. Better to better inform yourself about what’s immediately around you first. This is certainly not to indulge in what Pope Francis has called “local narcissism” ( Fratelli Tutti, No. 146), but it is to suggest that we can’t love our neighbor if we ignore the neighbor closest to us; it’s to suggest that we can’t have anything like a good perspective on national or global affairs if we’re not rooted in love in our own home soil. That’s often why the world seems so scary because we’re focused only on what’s scary all over the world all the time, ignoring what’s so beautiful nearest us. Think about these things, Paul would tell us — our family, our parish, our neighbors, our closest friends. But again, this isn’t just localism. Paul’s words are first an invitation to contemplation . The Catechism of the Catholic Church calls contemplation “a gaze of faith, fixed on Jesus” (No. 2715). The truest, most honorable, most just, most pure, most lovely and gracious thing one can think about is Jesus. Paul is not simply trying to pry us away from the world’s ugliness, he’s trying to turn our eyes to something eternally beautiful. Here we come even nearer to that peace beyond understanding. “Peace be with you,” the risen Lord says to us (Jn 20:19). That’s it! If we want truly to find that peace, which passes all understanding, which the world cannot steal from us, then we must keep our eyes fixed on Jesus. This again raises very practical questions leading to very practical advice: How’s your prayer going? When was the last time you spent an hour in front of the Blessed Sacrament ? How bad do you want this peace? Are you willing to do something about it? If so, you know what to do. As you read these very words now, the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament is probably not very far from you. You can go visit the Lord today probably. But again, if you want this peace. Not everyone does.  This article comes to you from Our Sunday Visitor courtesy of your parish or diocese.
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