Patriarchal Message for the New Ecclesiastical Year and the Day for the Protection of the Natural Environment
Patriarch Bartholomew
Human beings have destroyed creation through greed by focusing exclusively on this earth and its earthly benefits, which we endeavor to increase constantly, like the “rich fool” in the Gospel parable. (Luke 12. 13-21)
New survey on Americans’ views on papal encyclical on climate change
EurekAlert!
A new national survey conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and researchers at Yale University found that fewer than 1 in 3 Americans, and 40 percent of Catholics, are aware of Pope Francis’s efforts to publicize global warming as a priority issue for the Catholic Church. While there is relatively low awareness of the papal encyclical, a majority of Americans say it is appropriate for the pope to take a public position on the issue of global warming. This is true even though very few Americans consider global warming as an issue of religion, social justice, or poverty. The nationwide poll was collected July 17 to 19, 2015, using the AmeriSpeak Omnibus, the probability-based panel of NORC at the University of Chicago. Online and telephone interviews using landlines and cell phones were conducted with 1,030 adults.
Obama to seek unity with Pope Francis on climate, Cuba, other issues in White House visit
Josh Lederman, US News & World Report
Sweeping into office in 2009, President Barack Obama captured near rock-star status around the world among millions who saw him as the embodiment of a new sense of social purpose. Now, that baton has largely been passed to Pope Francis, whose visit to the White House next month will put his common cause with Obama on vivid display.
Pope Francis: 6 top issues
John Goff, KING5 News
However, he insists population control is not the answer. In other words no abortion and no artificial birth control. “To blame population growth instead of extreme and selective consumerism on the part of some, is one way of refusing to face the issues,” the encyclical says.
Climate Change and Capitalism: Challenges of the COP21 Paris and Climate Movements
Alfredo Acedo, CounterPunch
Even Pope Francis, in his Encyclical Laudato Si0 recognizes that “there is a very consistent scientific consensus that indicates that we find ourselves facing a worrisome warming of the climate system.” And “numerous scientific studies indicate that most global warming of recent decades is due to the great concentration of greenhouse gases (GEI) emitted above all by human activity.
Climate change is a Muslim concern
Hatem Bazian, Daily Sabah
Pope Francis called the climate “a common good” and “a crime against the natural world is a sin against ourselves and a sin against God.” In addition, he highlighted the “intimate relationship between the poor and the fragility of the planet.”
Coal, climate change, and the New Zealand economy: winners, losers, and long-term users
Cindy Baxter, Coal Action Network Aotearoa
In June, Pope Francis said in his encyclical that the use of “highly polluting fossil fuels needs to be progressively replaced without delay.”