Pope Francis employs powerful words to articulate his concern regarding anthropogenic climate change. He calls for immediate action from those in positions of authority, within communities, nations, and the international community of states. Sharing these concerns, both as a Catholic and a scientist (albeit not a climate science expert), I am committed to more than worry and complaint. Consequently, I suggest approaching “Laudate Deum” (“Praise God”, LD) with the perspective of personal learning, to enhance our reverence for and care of Creation, and to take responsibility for our environment.
Reading in context
On 04 October 2023, the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi, Pope Francis, in his apostolic exhortation Laudate Deum (“Praise God”, LD), urgently reminds us that we are too slow to mitigate the adverse impacts of climate change, one of the environmental aspects of our responsibility for “our common home.” You might wonder why the Pope is addressing what might seem like a secular concern, such as climate science, ecology, and strategies for mitigating the undesirable consequences of a warming planet. To fully grasp the context, it’s essential to view “Laudate Deum” as a sequel or, more accurately, as an addendum to Laudato Si (LS).
Laudato Si is an encyclical – a document of higher authority than Laudate Deum, – and delves into the theology of creation and addresses a spectrum of ecological challenges: pollution, waste, climate change, rising carbon dioxide levels, scarcity of water for an increasing global population, and the loss of biodiversity. Back in 2015, Pope Francis said that the responses to these challenges have been inadequate, stating:
“These situations have caused sister earth, along with all the abandoned of our world, to cry out, pleading that we take another course. Never have we so hurt and mistreated our common home as we have in the last two hundred years. Yet we are called to be instruments of God our Father, so that our planet might be what he desired when he created it and correspond with his plan for peace, beauty and fullness.”
Pope Francis, LS 53
In Laudato Si, Pope Francis calls for an “ecological conversion”, a term used first by St. John Paul II:
“We must therefore encourage and support the “ecological conversion” which in recent decades has made humanity more sensitive to the catastrophe to which it has been heading. Man is no longer the Creator’s “steward”, but an autonomous despot, who is finally beginning to understand that he must stop at the edge of the abyss.”
St. John Paul II, General audience, 17 Jan 2001
In Laudato Si, Pope Francis echoes the poignant words of his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, who, just days after his election as Pope in April 2005, said, “The external deserts in the world are expanding as a consequence of the vast internal desolation.” And Pope Francis continues:
“For this reason, the ecological crisis is also a summons to profound interior conversion. It must be said that some committed and prayerful Christians, with the excuse of realism and pragmatism, tend to ridicule expressions of concern for the environment. Others are passive; they choose not to change their habits and thus become inconsistent. So what they all need is an “ecological conversion”, whereby the effects of their encounter with Jesus Christ become evident in their relationship with the world around them. Living our vocation to be protectors of God’s handiwork is essential to a life of virtue; it is not an optional or a secondary aspect of our Christian experience.”
Pope Francis, LS 217
“There can be no ecology without an adequate anthropology”
“There can be no ecology without an adequate anthropology”, said Pope Francis in Laudato Si. Exploring what we read in Laudate Deum on key anthropological considerations highlighted by the Pope, I suggest that we reflect on four fundamental points:
Love for God’s Creation and the Common Good: Pope Francis emphasizes that genuine love for God’s creation entails a profound commitment to the common good. We must not view the non-human world solely as a resource but as a divine gift. Our environment is an integral part of the common good and, as such, requires our dedicated protection. To lose sight of nature as a gift and a present leads to the enslavement of both nature and ourselves. As Pope Francis warns,
“Everything that ceases to be a gift to be appreciated, valued, and cared for, and becomes a slave, a victim of any whim of the human mind and its faculties.”
Pope Francis, LD 22
The Essence of “Adequate Anthropology”: In Laudato Si, the Pope discerns a middle ground between two extremes, “false biocentrism” and “misguided anthropocentrism” (LS 118), but there is no term for this middle ground. In Laudate Deum, he uses the concept of “situated anthropocentrism” explaining that:
“The Judeo-Christian worldview insists on the special and central value of man in the midst of the wonderful concert of all living beings, but today we are forced to recognize that one can only speak of a “situated anthropocentrism.” That is, we must acknowledge that human life cannot be understood or sustained without other living beings.”
Pope Francis, LD 67
He continues with a reference from Laudato Si:
“all the creatures of the universe, having been created by one and the same Father, are united by invisible bonds, and we all form together a kind of universal family, a sublime communion that moves us to a holy, loving, and humble respect”.
Pope Francis, LS 883
The Danger of Technocracy: In our modern world, we tend to think that technology is everything, can do, and can solve everything. Warning against this tendency is not new in the social doctrine teachings of the Church. Saint John XXIII in Pacem in Terris (1963) warned against the threat of nuclear weapons and was the first to address this encyclical to “to all men and women of good will”. Saint John Paul II in Centesimus Annus (1991), Pope Benedict XVI in Caritas in Veritate (2009), and Pope Francis in Laudato Si (2015) all addressed the dangers of overreliance on technology, especially concerning threats to our communities and the environment.
The Power of Small Contributions: While creativity and innovation are undeniably valuable, they cannot replace the “ecological conversion” which is a conversion of hearts. Though quantitatively small, each individual’s modest contribution holds the potential for qualitative conversion that reaches families, communities, society, nations, and the international community of states. He reminds us that everything is interconnected.
Reflection on Reverence for Creation
St. Francis of Assisi’s timeless message, “Praise God for all his creatures,” resounds in our hearts. We are called to contemplate the tenderness with which Jesus spoke of the resplendent lilies of the field and the unforgotten sparrows in God’s sight. As humans, we are called not only to contemplate creation but also to bear the responsibility and act as faithful stewards, safeguarding the environment for our own well-being and the well-being of all creation.
Within this framework, we occupy a unique place in the grand tapestry of creation and, consequently, carry a special duty towards it. This duty calls us to embrace a concept of “situated anthropocentrism,” which amends our relationships with God, our fellow humans, and our beloved planet Earth. In the (rather abrupt) closing words of Pope Francis, we are reminded that when humans “claim to take God’s place, they become their own worst enemies.” (Pope Francis, LD 73)
Science meets Faith 