Pope Francis warns against man assuming the role of God. Eight years after Laudato Si’, the pope’s new apostolic exhortation says a “collective conversion of cultures and mentalities” is urgently needed to respond to the climate crisis. Laudate Deum, a shorter and more political document than Laudato Si’, is embedded in biblical references because this message derives from the gospel.
On October 5, the day after Pope Francis released Laudate Deum, an apostolic exhortation on the climate crisis, the highly reputable European observatory, the Copernicus Climate Change Service [C3S], announced that the average global temperature threshold of +1.5°C, compared to the pre-industrial period of 1850-1900, would be crossed in 2023. Those who promoted the Paris Climate Accords of 2015 hoped the threshold would never be crossed at all. It is evident that this is a cause for concern as we watch the trends over the next decade or so. Is there still a chance for a reversal of these trends?
According to Pope Francis, reversal is impossible without conversion on both a personal and collective level. In Laudate Deum, the pope explains his position with conviction, even challenging the world’s powerful: “To the powerful, I can only repeat this question: ‘What would induce anyone, at this stage, to hold on to power, only to be remembered for their inability to take action when it was urgent and necessary to do so?’” [No. 60].
The pope’s exhortation might shock many Americans, leading to harsh reactions as the pope specifically mentions them. He takes direct aim at the “irresponsible lifestyle” of many in the United States, noting that “emissions per individual in the United States are about two times greater than those of individuals living in China, and about seven times greater than the average of the poorest countries” [No. 72].
A prophet is one who raises uncomfortable voices when humanity drifts from God’s plans and designs. This is the reason for the prophetic nature of the Laudate Deum. Rather than predicting what will happen if we keep our idleness in the face of climate change, Pope Francis reminds us of a truth that we would prefer to ignore.
“Some effects of the climate crisis are already irreversible, at least for several hundred years,” he writes, drawing our attention toward “the increase in the global temperature of the oceans” as just one example of climate degradation wrought by human hands. “This is one of the many signs that the other creatures of this world have stopped being our companions along the way and have become instead our victims” [No. 15].
Throughout this document, scientific evidence is presented in order to refute those who propose that the climate crisis is merely the result of a particular lobby or ideological position. Pope Francis is fully aware that some of the world’s political leaders deny climate change’s scientific basis.
In the mantle of a prophet, Pope Francis beckons us to get out of positions that hide indifference or selfishness in order to avoid change: “Let us put an end to the irresponsible mockery that portrays this issue as only environmental, ‘green’, romantic, often ridiculed by economic interests as something only affecting the environment”. In a variety of ways, it is both a human and a social issue. Let us finally acknowledge that it is both. Jose, CMF.
