Pope Francis on climate change

[Woolleybugger]

I walk into a forest because I think it is a cathedral. I walk to the crystal clear stream because I think the water is life itself. I visit a wonderful beach and gaze upon the ocean and dream about what it contains. I stroll through a rain forest and listen for the call of howler monkeys, step over fallen logs ridden with fungus, moss and ants and think to myself, what a wonderful world. Would any amount of money make me think otherwise? No. In fact, most very wealthy people by up vast tracts of land just to experience the wonder of it all, the joy in seeing life and nature as clean, pristine and perfect as can be. I love our planet and all the things in it. Let's make it perfect for all time

 

[gigi]

On page one of the encyclical everyone's talking about but no one is reading, Pope Francis not only quotes THREE popes from the 20th and early 21st century who have given these same warnings and discussions before him, but he also quotes St. Francis of Assisi, who talked about the importance of loving and respecting the earth and all of creation 900 years ago. This is not new. It only seems new because Francis, being a Jesuit, is something of a darling (through no doing of his own) among people who think that Jesuits are Marxists and communists. So he gets a lot more attention and positive spin than his recent predecessors. Some folks in the media are taking the "If you build it, they will come" approach to Francis. He hasn't said or changed what they want him to say or change, so they're "helping" him along, hoping to fulfill their own prophecy, I guess.

And he is talking about what he knows: It's straight up Catholic belief that you don't take more than you need, you share what you have, you don't exploit anything or anyone for your own gain, you're not the owner but rather a steward of everything you have dominion over including your own personal resources, and you don't pursue profits in ways that harm anyone else.....And you do for the poor, not to them. "What good is it to gain the whole world but lose your soul in the process"

 

[JuliefromOhio]

On page one of the encyclical everyone's talking about but no one is reading, Pope Francis not only quotes THREE popes from the 20th and early 21st century who have given these same warnings and discussions before him, but he also quotes St. Francis of Assisi, who talked about the importance of loving and respecting the earth and all of creation 900 years ago. This is not new. It only seems new because Francis, being a Jesuit, is something of a darling (through no doing of his own) among people who think that Jesuits are Marxists and communists. So he gets a lot more attention and positive spin than his recent predecessors. Some folks in the media are taking the "If you build it, they will come" approach to Francis. He hasn't said or changed what they want him to say or change, so they're "helping" him along, hoping to fulfill their own prophecy, I guess.

And he is talking about what he knows: It's straight up Catholic belief that you don't take more than you need, you share what you have, you don't exploit anything or anyone for your own gain, you're not the owner but rather a steward of everything you have dominion over including your own personal resources, and you don't pursue profits in ways that harm anyone else.....And you do for the poor, not to them. "What good is it to gain the whole world but lose your soul in the process"

well put......and that's why conservatives dislike Pope Francis.

 

[fairsheet]

On page one of the encyclical everyone's talking about but no one is reading, Pope Francis not only quotes THREE popes from the 20th and early 21st century who have given these same warnings and discussions before him, but he also quotes St. Francis of Assisi, who talked about the importance of loving and respecting the earth and all of creation 900 years ago. This is not new. It only seems new because Francis, being a Jesuit, is something of a darling (through no doing of his own) among people who think that Jesuits are Marxists and communists. So he gets a lot more attention and positive spin than his recent predecessors. Some folks in the media are taking the "If you build it, they will come" approach to Francis. He hasn't said or changed what they want him to say or change, so they're "helping" him along, hoping to fulfill their own prophecy, I guess.

And he is talking about what he knows: It's straight up Catholic belief that you don't take more than you need, you share what you have, you don't exploit anything or anyone for your own gain, you're not the owner but rather a steward of everything you have dominion over including your own personal resources, and you don't pursue profits in ways that harm anyone else.....And you do for the poor, not to them. "What good is it to gain the whole world but lose your soul in the process"

You seem to be suggesting that Pope Francis isn't saying anything different from what Catholic leaders have been saying for a Century, if not a Millennium or two. You're sorely mistaken. What we say, only matters to the extent that others hear us. You don't name these other contemporary Popes who presumably said the same thing Pope Francis has. I'm sure you know exactly who said what. I don't though - nor I imagine, to most people on earth.

I heard Pope Francis. Billions of people heard Pope Francis. We didn't hear those other guys. Thus, whatever they may've said is useless and meaningless except perhaps, to some sort of verbosity scorekeeper.

 

[gigi]

You seem to be suggesting that Pope Francis isn't saying anything different from what Catholic leaders have been saying for a Century, if not a Millennium or two. You're sorely mistaken. What we say, only matters to the extent that others hear us. You don't name these other contemporary Popes who presumably said the same thing Pope Francis has. I'm sure you know exactly who said what. I don't though - nor I imagine, to most people on earth.

I heard Pope Francis. Billions of people heard Pope Francis. We didn't hear those other guys. Thus, whatever they may've said is useless and meaningless except perhaps, to some sort of verbosity scorekeeper.

No, I'm not sorely mistaken. Try reading his encyclical, and the encyclicals and speeches he referenced within it. For crying out loud, it's all right on page ONE. They are Paul, John Paul II, and Benedict XVI. He also quotes St. Francis of Assisi, who discussed our duty to the earth 900 years ago.

The fact that the left wing media didn't slobber all over every syllable these other men uttered and twist them into their own point of view doesn't make their teaching meaningless, or, as you would wish, non existent. Further, it's not the job of the media to educate you on what your Holy Father is teaching you. I'm a little bit younger than you, and I learned this teaching about exploiting the world and our resources for greed's sake growing up in school. It's been out there for a long time. Don't blame the Church because whatever newspapers you read failed you.

http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/encyclicals/documents/papa-francesco_20150524_enciclica-laudato-si.html

 

[fairsheet]

No, I'm not sorely mistaken. Try reading his encyclical, and the encyclicals and speeches he referenced within it. For crying out loud, it's all right on page ONE. They are Paul, John Paul II, and Benedict XVI. He also quotes St. Francis of Assisi, who discussed our duty to the earth 900 years ago.

The fact that the left wing media didn't slobber all over every syllable these other men uttered and twist them into their own point of view doesn't make their teaching meaningless, or, as you would wish, non existent. Further, it's not the job of the media to educate you on what your Holy Father is teaching you. I'm a little bit younger than you, and I learned this teaching about exploiting the world and our resources for greed's sake growing up in school. It's been out there for a long time. Don't blame the Church because whatever newspapers you read failed you.

http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/encyclicals/documents/papa-francesco_20150524_enciclica-laudato-si.html

I allowed that you were being perfectly honest as to the verbiage that's come out of their mouths and scribes. I also suggested that since no one of note HEARD them, their verbosity was useless.

But again....to those who score God and humanity as if they were little more than topics for competitive debate, I suppose Pope Francis might be no more or less than anyone else.

 

[gigi]

I allowed that you were being perfectly honest as to the verbiage that's come out of their mouths and scribes. I also suggested that since no one of note HEARD them, their verbosity was useless.

But again....to those who score God and humanity as if they were little more than topics for competitive debate, I suppose Pope Francis might be no more or less than anyone else.

Whatever, fairsheet. I'm not entirely sure what you're getting at but I think there's a shot in there somewhere. Don't know what I said to warrant it though.

 

[fairsheet]

Whatever, fairsheet. I'm not entirely sure what you're getting at but I think there's a shot in there somewhere. Don't know what I said to warrant it though.

I didn't intend a shot. I guess my point is that I'm able to celebrate Pope Francis without the need to "qualify" him vis a vis prior Popes. You know Catholic history better than I, and I doubt that even you would feel compelled to apologize for every past Pope. After all, as we both know, some of those guys were real doozies back in the day.

So, why are you so convinced that say......JP II and Benedict must be defended and rationalized? There's a reason why God put Benedict out to pasture and gave us Francis.

 

[gigi]

I didn't intend a shot. I guess my point is that I'm able to celebrate Pope Francis without the need to "qualify" him vis a vis prior Popes. You know Catholic history better than I, and I doubt that even you would feel compelled to apologize for every past Pope. After all, as we both know, some of those guys were real doozies back in the day.

So, why are you so convinced that say......JP II and Benedict must be defended and rationalized? There's a reason why God put Benedict out to pasture and gave us Francis.

I don't feel that JP or Benedict need to be rationalized and defended. But surely you know that the media treats Pope Francis like he's in the throes of reinventing Catholicism.He needs no qualifying from the likes of me. But the truth is, he's Catholic. He teaches what his predecessors have taught. I think if I'm defending anything, it's the faith itself. It always was what Francis is suddenly being lauded for teaching now.

Benedict is 85 years old and not in good health, so he retired.I watched him several times in the last year or so of his papacy as he celebrated Mass and he looked like he was exhausted. Francis has also talked about not serving for life when popes get old. He makes comments that he won't be pope very long. I hope and pray he's not sick. I think seeing what John Paul II went through was very eye opening to the men who might be pope.

 

[fairsheet]

I don't feel that JP or Benedict need to be rationalized and defended. But surely you know that the media treats Pope Francis like he's in the throes of reinventing Catholicism.He needs no qualifying from the likes of me. But the truth is, he's Catholic. He teaches what his predecessors have taught. I think if I'm defending anything, it's the faith itself. It always was what Francis is suddenly being lauded for teaching now.

Benedict is 85 years old and not in good health, so he retired.I watched him several times in the last year or so of his papacy as he celebrated Mass and he looked like he was exhausted. Francis has also talked about not serving for life when popes get old. He makes comments that he won't be pope very long. I hope and pray he's not sick. I think seeing what John Paul II went through was very eye opening to the men who might be pope.

I realize this is how you feel.

 

[EatTheRich]

The Pope is wrong, there is no global warming. The trend is to get colder. He should stay on topics he knows. The science is settled, no Global Warming.

What data prompts you to reject, with such assurance, the unanimous opinion of experts in climate science?