Pope Francis’ Encyclical on the Environment Draws Interest

By Alison Lesley --
17 Mar 2015 --

Pope Francis is preparing to issue his encyclical, a letter to all bishops of the Roman Catholic Church, on the environment.

An official from the Vatican who sat in with Pope Francis as he drafted the document has come forward to give insights into what can be expected when it is officially released. The main topics that are have been revealed so far are climate change, the possible causes of global warming, and the role that Christians need to play in the future of global warming.

Global Warming Warnings

The encyclical that is being issued by Pope Francis is being met with keen interest around the world because it is going to address global warming. While Cardinal Peter Turkston, the official who worked on the document with Pope Francis, has said that it is undeniable that warming of the Earth is happening, there was some disagreement pertaining to its potential causes. The source from the Vatican was clear that this message is not going to be politically charged; only that it will encourage better treatment of the planet. This means that there will be no doubt in place when Pope Francis calls on humans to fix a problem that was, undoubtedly, caused by them.

However, the individual did note that the Pope is going to tell Christians that they are responsible for taking a more proactive approach to seeing to the planet’s health. After all, it is seen as a Christian duty to maintain and keep the world that God labored to create. This fundamental duty is believed to be a key to helping keep the Earth peaceful and plentiful for everyone. Turkston announced that he believes that there will also be a greater emphasis about people improving one another in order to improve the planet.

Pope Francis' has upcoming encyclical on climate change >> Read more here! http://t.co/kGf7uKagiS pic.twitter.com/k9h7LtT26f
— Greenpeace Australia Pacific (@GreenpeaceAP) March 14, 2015

Old Biblical Teachings

Cardinal Turkston also said that the coming encyclical will reference certain aspects of older biblical teachings. Specifically, he said that there are signs in nature that humans have “tilled too much and kept too little”. This suggests that human beings may have tipped Earth towards a path filled with environmental problems that will not be easy to correct. That is why the encyclical will emphasize that individuals begin making choices that are better for the Earth, depending less on regulations to save the planet and more on everyday actions and choices. The encyclical will be released in July in its entirety, and may include more material than Turkston had originally helped create.