VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE   
   YEAR XXII - # 114   
   DATE 18-06-2015   
      
   Summary:   
   - Overview of the Encyclical Laudato si'   
   - Press conference for the presentation of the Encyclical Laudato si'   
   - The Pope continues his visits to the dicasteries of the Roman Curia   
   - Other Pontifical Acts   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    Overview of the Encyclical Laudato si'   
    Vatican City, 18 June 2015 (VIS) - The following text offers an overview of   
   the   
   191 pages of the Encyclical Laudato si' and its key points, along with a   
   summary   
   of each of its six chapters ("What is happening to our common home", "The   
   Gospel   
   of Creation", "The human roots of the ecological crisis", "Integral ecology",   
   "Lines of approach and action", and "Ecological education and spirituality").   
   The Encyclical concludes with an interreligious prayer for our earth and a   
   Christian prayer for Creation.   
    "What kind of world do we want to leave to those who come after us, to   
   children   
   who are now growing up?" (160). This question is at the heart of Laudato si'   
   (May You be praised), the anticipated Encyclical on the care of the common home   
   by Pope Francis. "This question does not have to do with the environment alone   
   and in isolation; the issue cannot be approached piecemeal". This leads us to   
   ask ourselves about the meaning of existence and its values at the basis of   
   social life: "What is the purpose of our life in this world? What is the goal   
   of   
   our work and all our efforts? What need does the earth have of us?" "Unless we   
   struggle with these deeper issues - says the Pope - I do not believe that our   
   concern for ecology will produce significant results"-.   
    The Encyclical takes its name from the invocation of St. Francis, "Praise be   
   to   
   you, my Lord", in his Canticle of the Creatures. It reminds us that the earth,   
   our common home "is like a sister with whom we share our life and a beautiful   
   mother who opens her arms to embrace us". We have forgotten that "we ourselves   
   are dust of the earth; our very bodies are made up of her elements, we breathe   
   her air and we receive life and refreshment from her waters."   
    Now, this earth, mistreated and abused, is lamenting, and its groans join   
   those   
   of all the forsaken of the world. Pope Francis invites us to listen to them,   
   urging each and every one - individuals, families, local communities, nations   
   and the international community - to an "ecological conversion", according to   
   the expression of St. John Paul II. We are invited to "change direction" by   
   taking on the beauty and responsibility of the task of "caring for our common   
   home". At the same time, Pope Francis recognises that "there is a growing   
   sensitivity to the environment and the need to protect nature, along with a   
   growing concern, both genuine and distressing, for what is happening to our   
   planet". A ray of hope flows through the entire Encyclical, which gives a clear   
   message of hope. "Humanity still has the ability to work together in building   
   our common home". "Men and women are still capable of intervening positively".   
   "All is not lost. Human beings, while capable of the worst, are also capable of   
   rising above themselves, choosing again what is good, and making a new start".   
    Pope Francis certainly addresses the Catholic faithful, quoting St. John Paul   
   II: "Christians in their turn "realise that their responsibility within   
   creation, and their duty towards nature and the Creator, are an essential part   
   of their faith"". Pope Francis proposes specially "to enter into dialogue with   
   all people about our common home". The dialogue runs throughout the text and in   
   chapter 5 it becomes the instrument for addressing and solving problems. From   
   the beginning, Pope Francis recalls that "other Churches and Christian   
   communities - and other religions as well - have also expressed deep concern   
   and   
   offered valuable reflections" on the theme of ecology. Indeed, such   
   contributions expressly come in, starting with that of "the beloved Ecumenical   
   Patriarch Bartholomew", extensively cited in numbers 8-9. On several occasions,   
   then, the Pope thanks the protagonists of this effort - individuals as well as   
   associations and institutions. He acknowledges that "the reflections of   
   numerous   
   scientists, philosophers, theologians and civic groups, all [...] have enriched   
   the Church's thinking on these questions". He invites everyone to recognize   
   "the   
   rich contribution which the religions can make towards an integral ecology and   
   the full development of humanity".   
    The itinerary of the Encyclical is mapped out in n. 15 and divided into six   
   chapters. It starts by presenting the current situation based on the best   
   scientific findings available today, next, there is a review of the Bible and   
   Judeo-Christian tradition. The root of the problems in technocracy and in an   
   excessive self-centredness of the human being are analysed. The Encyclical   
   proposes an "integral ecology, which clearly respects its human and social   
   dimensions", inextricably linked to the environmental question. In this   
   perspective, Pope Francis proposes to initiate an honest dialogue at every   
   level   
   of social, economic and political life, that builds transparent decision-making   
   processes, and recalls that no project can be effective if it is not animated   
   by   
   a formed and responsible conscience. Ideas are put forth to aid growth in this   
   direction at the educational, spiritual, ecclesial, political and theological   
   levels. The text ends with two prayers; one offered for sharing with everyone   
   who believes in "God who is the all-powerful Creator", and the other to those   
   who profess faith in Jesus Christ, punctuated by the refrain "Praise be to   
   you!"   
   which opens and closes the Encyclical.   
    Several main themes run through the text that are addressed from a variety of   
   different perspectives, traversing and unifying the text: the intimate   
   relationship between the poor and the fragility of the planet, the conviction   
   that everything in the world is connected, the critique of new paradigms and   
   forms of power derived from technology, the call to seek other ways of   
   understanding the economy and progress, the value proper to each creature, the   
   human meaning of ecology, the need for forthright and honest debate, the   
   serious   
   responsibility of international and local policies, the throwaway culture and   
   the proposal of a new lifestyle.   
    Chapter 1 - WHAT IS HAPPENING TO OUR COMMON HOME (Pollution and climate   
   change;   
   Pollution, refuse and the culture of waste; Climate as a common good; The issue   
   of water; Loss of biodiversity; Decline in the quality of human life and the   
   breakdown of society; Global inequality; Weak responses; A variety of   
   opinions).   
    The chapter presents the most recent scientific findings on the environment as   
   a way to listen to the cry of creation, "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". It thus deals with "several aspects   
   of the present ecological crisis".   
    Pollution and climate change: "Climate change is a global problem with serious   
   implications, environmental, social, economic, political and for the   
   distribution of goods; it represents one of the principal challenges facing   
   humanity in our day". If "the climate is a common good, belonging to all and   
   meant for all", the greatest impact of this change falls on the poorest, but   
   "many of those who possess more resources and economic or political power seem   
   mostly to be concerned with masking the problems or concealing their symptoms".   
   "Our lack of response to these tragedies involving our brothers and sisters   
   points to the loss of that sense of responsibility for our fellow men and women   
   upon which all civil society is founded".   
    The issue of water: the Pope clearly states that "access to safe drinkable   
   water is a basic and universal human right, since it is essential to human   
   survival and, as such, is a condition for the exercise of other human rights".   
   To deprive the poor of access to water means to deny "the right to a life   
   consistent with their inalienable dignity".   
    Loss of biodiversity: "Each year sees the disappearance of thousands of plant   
   and animal species which we will never know, which our children will never see,   
   because they have been lost forever". They are not just any exploitable   
   "resource", but have a value in and of themselves. In this perspective "we must   
   be grateful for the praiseworthy efforts being made by scientists and engineers   
   dedicated to finding solutions to man-made problems", but when human   
   intervention is at the service of finance and consumerism, "it is actually   
   making our earth less rich and beautiful, ever more limited and grey".   
    Decline in the quality of human life and the breakdown of society: in the   
   framework of an ethics of international relationships, the Encyclical indicates   
   how a "true "ecological debt" exists in the world, with the North in debt to   
   the   
   South. In the face of climate change, there are "differentiated   
   responsibilities", and those of the developed countries are greater.   
    Aware of the profound differences over these issues, Pope Francis shows   
   himself   
   to be deeply affected by the "weak responses" in the face of the drama of many   
   peoples and populations. Even though there is no lack of positive examples,   
   there is "a complacency and a cheerful recklessness". An adequate culture is   
   lacking as well as a willingness to change life style, production and   
   consumption, while there are efforts being made "to establish a legal framework   
   which can set clear boundaries and ensure the protection of ecosystems".   
    Chapter Two - THE GOSPEL OF CREATION (The light offered by faith; The wisdom   
   of   
   the Biblical accounts; The mystery of the universe; The message of each   
   creature   
   in the harmony of creation; A universal communion; The common destination of   
   goods; The gaze of Jesus).   
    To face the problems illustrated in the previous chapter, Pope Francis selects   
   Biblical accounts, offering a comprehensive view that comes from the   
   Judeo-Christian tradition. With this he articulates the "tremendous   
   responsibility" of humankind for creation, the intimate connection among all   
   creatures and the fact that "the natural environment is a collective good, the   
   patrimony of all humanity and the responsibility of everyone".   
    In the Bible, "the God who liberates and saves is the same God who created the   
   universe, and these two divine ways of acting are intimately and inseparably   
   connected". The story of creation is central for reflecting on the relationship   
   between human beings and other creatures and how sin breaks the equilibrium of   
   all creation in its entirety: "These accounts suggest that human life is   
   grounded in three fundamental and closely intertwined relationships: with God,   
   with our neighbour and with the earth itself. According to the Bible, these   
   three vital relationships have been broken, both outwardly and within us. This   
   rupture is sin".   
    For this, even if "we Christians have at times incorrectly interpreted the   
   Scriptures, nowadays we must forcefully reject the notion that our being   
   created   
   in God's image and given dominion over the earth justifies absolute domination   
   over other creatures". Human beings have the responsibility to ""till and keep"   
   the garden of the world", knowing that "the ultimate purpose of other creatures   
   is not to be found in us. Rather, all creatures are moving forward, with us and   
   through us, towards a common point of arrival, which is God".   
    That the human being is not the master of the universe "does not mean to put   
   all living beings on the same level and to deprive human beings of their unique   
   worth and the tremendous responsibility it entails. Nor does it imply a   
   divinisation of the earth which would prevent us from working on it and   
      
   --- MPost/386 v1.21   
    * Origin: Sursum Corda! BBS=Huntsville AL=bbs.sursum-corda.com (1:396/45)