ENCYCLICAL !?!Pope Francis

This new encyclical is the first one in which

the environment will be the primary topic.

Pope Francis will bring together issues of

social justice and economic inequity along

with the environment and climate change

He is also slated to address the UN General Assembly in September and convene a

summit of world religious leaders to address climate change

According to Bishop Marcelo Sorondo, chancellor of the Vatican’s Pontifical

Academy of Sciences, the pope hopes to influence next year’s crucial UN climate

meeting in Paris, when countries will attempt to finalize two decades of troubled

negotiations with a universal and binding commitment to reducing greenhouse gas

emissions.

According to Yale religion and environment professor Mary Evelyn Tucker, co-founder of the Forum on

Religion and Ecology, the forthcoming encyclical will be one of

the “most important” documents dealing with the moral implications of

climate change, and will explore environmental justice concerns,

including how the poor and other vulnerable groups are deeply impacted by global “climate

disruption.”

The reasons might be threefold.

First, perhaps Pope Francis wishes to make

clear that when it comes to matters of creation, the church should be a major

player, not a marginal voice.

Second, perhaps Francis is underscoring that this is not just a

question of policies and carbon emissions, critical as they are, but it

is also one of persons, especially poor and vulnerable persons, who

often contribute the least to carbon emissions but suffer the most from

“climate chaos” in the form of floods, drought, typhoons, and

wildly whipsawing weather patterns

Third, might Pope Francis be suggesting that

climate change is not only a moral crisis, but a deeply spiritual crisis as

well, one that cuts to the core of who we are and

how we relate to all that is?

John Paul delivered high-profile remarks on the

topic as early as 1990. "The gradual depletion of the ozone layer and related 'greenhouse effect' has now reached crisis

proportions as a consequence of industrial growth, massive urban

concentrations and vastly increased energy needs," he said

during a World Day of Peace message.

Benedict earned praise as "the green pope" from some quarters for a series of symbolic

actions on climate change. He installed solar panels near St. Peter's Basilica, used offset purchases to make Vatican City the world's

first carbon-neutral state and even purchased an electric "Popemobile"

Joint Workshop of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and the Pontifical Academy of

Social Sciences, 2-6 May 2014

2014 Cafod lecture: Argentinian bishop highlights urgency of tackling climate

change12 November 2014

“When we hear that people have meetings about how to preserve

creation, we can say: ‘No, they are the greens!’” Francis said in

his homily at morning Mass, using a common name for environmental

activists.“No, they are not the greens! This

is the Christian!” he said.

Will Catholic schools, seminaries, and universities be expected to teach this?

Green Building is Ethical Building

• Green Building is Ethical Building• Theology can build support for Green

Building• Green Building Theology Teaches Green

Values to Members of Religious Institutions

Can we network with other groups, Ngos before Paris?

Which groups? On what basis can we support the groups?

Networking

Fr. Allwyn D’Silva

Director - Institute for Community Organization Research (ICOR)

Head - Archdiocesan Office for Environment (Mumbai)

Secretary - Climate Change Desk of Federation of Asian Bishops Conference (FABC)

1. Personal -What has touched you during the past one and half day?

2. Can you suggest what can the FABC and Bishops’ Conferences plan before December 2015

What type of advocacy can the Church adopt?

Any suggestions to improve on the next Regional Seminars?

Questions