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    Caring for our Common Home: A Readers’ Guide and Commentary on Pope Francis’ Encyclical on the Environment
    Caring for our Common Home: A Readers’ Guide and Commentary on Pope Francis’ Encyclical on the Environment
    Caring for our Common Home: A Readers’ Guide and Commentary on Pope Francis’ Encyclical on the Environment
    Ebook62 pages48 minutes

    Caring for our Common Home: A Readers’ Guide and Commentary on Pope Francis’ Encyclical on the Environment

    By Thomas Reese SJ

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    About this ebook

    Pope Francis’ 2015 encyclical on the environment has captured the attention of millions of people all over the world. One of the most important documents of this century, the encyclical puts the Catholic Church firmly behind the environmental movement, calling the world to a conversion that will have a huge impact on how we live, how our economy works, and how governments operate. National Catholic Reporter Senior Analyst Fr. Thomas Reese, SJ provides an introduction, thoughtful questions, in-depth analysis and prompts for discussion.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherNational Catholic Reporter Publishing Co.
    Release dateMar 4, 2020
    ISBN9781618132147
    Caring for our Common Home: A Readers’ Guide and Commentary on Pope Francis’ Encyclical on the Environment

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      Book preview

      Caring for our Common Home - Thomas Reese SJ

      Caring for Our Common Home

      A Readers’ Guide and Commentary on Pope Francis’

      Encyclical on the Environment

      By Fr. Thomas Reese, SJ

      Table of Contents

      Preface

      The Encyclical’s Introduction

      Chapter 1 What is happening to our common home?

      Commentary - Pope Francis says ‘Facts are more important than ideas’

      Chapter 2 The Gospel of creation

      Commentary: Revelation and creation, respecting and sharing God’s gift

      Chapter 3 The human roots of the ecological crisis

      Commentary: Francis’ equation: Technology + greed = disaster

      Chapter 4 Integral ecology

      Commentary: Everything is connected

      Chapter 5 Lines of approach and action

      Commentary: Saving the environment through dialogue and transparency

      Chapter 6 Ecological education and spirituality

      Commentary: The path to change is environmental education and spirituality

      Afterward

      About the Author

      Jesuit Fr. Thomas Reese is a senior analyst for NCR and author of Inside the Vatican: The Politics and Organization of the Catholic Church. His weekly blog at NCR is titled Faith and Justice.

      His email address is treesesj@ncronline.org. Follow him on Twitter: @ThomasReeseSJ.

      Cover photo credit: Creative Commons/Agência Brasil

      Preface

      "Laudato Si’, on Care for Our Common Home," the 2015 encyclical on the environment by Pope Francis, has captured the attention of millions of people all over the world and could be one of the most important documents of this century.

      Others, scientists and environmentalists, have spoken about climate change in the past, but none has caused the stir created by the pope.

      One reason the encyclical is getting so much attention is because it is from Pope Francis. The pope is admired, respected, and even loved all over the world by Catholics and non-Catholics alike. Everyone is fascinated by this pope, and he has an ability to communicate in simple language that average people can understand.

      In his encyclical, the pope begins by looking at the facts: What have we been doing to the earth? He then argues that how we treat the earth, how we respond to climate change, are moral questions — in fact, some of the most important moral issues of our time.

      Those who argue that the pope should stick to faith and morals and not political issues don’t seem to think there are any Catholic moral issues outside the bedroom. What can be a more important moral issue than a crisis that could cause the death and displacement of millions of people?

      The encyclical also matters because it puts the Catholic Church firmly behind the environmental movement. With the pope’s embrace, the environmental movement goes mainstream. Environmentalists can no longer be denigrated as tree-huggers and Gaia worshippers.

      Despite its efforts, the environmental movement has had only limited success. Frankly, people are not going to change their lifestyles to protect polar bears. But if history shows us anything, it is that religion can motivate people to do extraordinary things. Religious motives can move people to self-sacrifice, to give up their own self-interest for a greater good. The environmental movement needs believers of every faith who are motivated by their religious convictions to protect God’s creation.

      What impact will the encyclical have?

      The pope is calling the world to a conversion that will have a huge impact on how we live, how our economy works, and how governments operate. Revolutionary is almost too weak a word. It will require an extraordinary change in human vision and behavior to accomplish this peaceful revolution. It will require sacrifice from everyone, especially those who are rich and powerful, who are enjoying the fruits of the status quo.

      Doing what the pope asks will not be

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