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The Pope Appeals for Our Good Will on Climate
You can’t get much closer to God than the Pope.
As a practicing Catholic, I and those who share my faith believe wholeheartedly that God entrusted us to be stewards of His creation, Earth. That care extends to caring for not only the only home we have until we hopefully ascend, but those around us in need.
We are failing on both counts, which is why I support his recent admonishment on the climate crisis.
For those who missed it, Pope Francis published his apostolic exhortation Laudate Deum, building on his May 2015 encyclical Laudato Si’ and addressed to all “to all people of good will on the climate crisis”.
I take that call seriously.
In Laudate Deum, Pope Francis did not mince words, noting that the world is “nearing a breaking point,” condemning climate denial, and calling for urgent climate action. While the message in Laudate Deum is universal, it carries particular significance for Catholics living in countries with a high carbon footprint, such as here in the United States where emissions per individual are about two times greater than individuals living in China, and seven times greater than the average poorest country in the world. While we are no longer the highest global emitter annually, historically we are, and we are certainly the ones who kicked…
