With his recent visit to the United States, Pope Francis is very much the man of the hour. But Francis is far more than a beloved, charismatic figurehead. He is also a powerful prophetic voice for the social teachings of the Catholic Church. We may not have been able to see Francis on his recent visit, but we can draw close to him through studying his teachings. In particular, Pope Francis has recently authored an encyclical--a papal letter--addressed not to Catholics alone, but to all humanity.
Francis has entitled his encyclical Laudato Si, Praise Be, after the great Canticle of the Creatures written by his namesake, St Francis of Assisi. In his encyclical, Pope Francis calls our attention to the devastating environmental impacts of industrialized society, with special reference to global climate change.
Last semester, I taught toxicology and environmental medicine to my students. In the course of the semester, we looked into many interlocking concerns, including pesticides, genetic engineering, mining, toxic chemicals, radiation, air pollution, waterway pollution and climate change. We saw that, just as a chronically ill person may suffer from several co-existing and mutually exacerbating conditions, in the same way, numerous interacting and mutually exacerbating stressors affect our biosphere. Often, the students complained, "This is depressing!"
What do we mean by this? How do we respond to the current ecological crisis? And how does Pope Francis invite us to respond?
Faced with species extinction and looming environmental catastrophe, we may prefer not to know too much. "Ignorance is bliss." If we avoid the news, isolate ourselves as much as possible from current concerns; perhaps we could lead happier, less stressful lives. How does it help me to worry about Tuareg nomads in Northern Mali who cannot find water for their livestock? Isn't it better just to get on with my own life? In fact, when I was growing up, Timbuktu was an idiom for a place too far away to worry about. I didn't know a real Timbuktu actually existed, still less that it was an ancient seat of culture and literature in Mali.
Laudato Si was published in May of this year and soon became an important theme of our summer holiday. Picture us sitting in an attic room on the slopes of Etna, reading the encyclical together as we avoid the noonday heat, or gathered in my mother's flat in West Wales, as the three of us read together, Mum just as inspired as Sadananda and myself. I had many aha moments as we read, the first being the answer to the question, "Why do we need to know this?"
To this burning question, Pope Francis replies: "Our goal is not to amass information or to satisfy curiosity, but rather to become painfully aware, to dare to turn what is happening to the world into our own personal suffering and thus to discover what each of us can do about it."
Becoming painfully aware is a vitally important teaching which reminds me of the Four Steps of Reconciliation. Fist comes recognition--we must recognize and understand the impacts of our actions, as a person and as a species. Second comes repentance. This is the moment when we understand not just cognitively but also emotionally; we feel the pain we have caused. This is painful awareness. Out of this arises reparation--our willingness to make good, to give back. Finally, we commit to rehabilitation, the step of making the needed changes to prevent the issue happening in the future.
We, as a human species, need to reach out for reconciliation with other species and with Mother Earth. We who enjoy all the luxuries of industrialized society need to reach out for reconciliation with the Tuareg and all the other poor and vulnerable victims of climate change, who themselves have never experienced the benefits of life in developed countries, but must pay a high price for what we enjoy. The things we take for granted have had impacts that rob them of the traditional lifestyle that brought them joy and meaning. But by the same token, small actions of awareness and compassion on our part could have benefits beyond our imagining in lands we have never seen.
Laudato Si is a lengthy and thoroughly researched letter. It must have taken tremendous effort on the part of an elderly man to write such a letter, personally intended for each and every one of us, Christians, Jews, Muslims, Sikhs, Hindus, Buddhists, agnostics and atheists alike. I would encourage each one of us to take some time to study what Francis offers us and to see how we personally are called to respond. (Here's the link to it). Above all, I invite us to take to heart the call to painful awareness. Becoming painfully aware of the impacts of our actions and the effects of what we enjoy, making it our own personal suffering, let us look to the big and small ways in which we can make a difference.
"Praise be to you, my Lord, through our Sister, Mother Earth, who sustains and governs us, and who produces various fruit with coloured flowers and herbs".