Laudato Si': On Care for Our Common Home

This encyclical letter primarily deals with the environmental crisis. The Pope has no expertise in ecology or environmental science, no expertise in economics, no expertise in political science or theory, so what he says on any of these dimensions is often too simplistic or outright confused. Yet, as far as I'm concerned, his heart is in the right place and I share many of his concerns, even on the cosmic level.

“Laudato Si: Praise be unto you, oh Lord.”In his thought provoking new encyclical, Pope Francis explores issues pertinent to the care of the natural environment; our common home. Unlike encyclicals written by other pontiffs, Pope Francis addresses his message to the whole of human creation, calling for a universal effort across the boundaries of faith, nationality, language, and political ideals.Divided into six distinct sections, the pontiff begins with an in depth analysis of the state of our world, touching on issues ranging from global climate change, to access to clean water, to care for the poor. He calls for a global move toward social justice, linking the poor to the state of our climate, explaining that the poor will feel the effects of climate change first, and the worst. He moves on to explore the Gospel of Creation, delving into the Church’s teaching regarding creation and human dignity. The second half of the letter is geared toward solutions and stark critiques of the inaction seen thus far.Pope Francis delivers his message of love with extreme clarity and grace, emphasizing the necessity to care for the most vulnerable among us, and exploring the issue of climate change from a perspective that will not alienate non-Catholics. He finishes his address with two prayers: One universal, and one Christian, emphasizing his message of social justice, inclusivity, and the fundamental dignity of every race, religion, and nationality, as members of our common home.

This encyclical addresses the inevitability associated with ignoring the trashing of our planet by the haves at the expense of the huge number of have nots that make up the population of our planet. If we haves as humans do what is beneficial for the entire human race going forward then we will have the capacity to deal with the surprises of Mother nature that will occur from time to time going forward. Going forward, the earth will always warm and then chill and then warm again. We will always have volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, hurricanes, typhoons, and flooding and droughts. If we are better stewards of God's creation going forward we can reduce/ eliminate the man made problems of forest fires, pollution of the land and waters of the earth, and the overuse of hydrocarbons so that food, clothing and housing can be produced to feed and cloth and protect everyone that inhabits the planet from generation to generation. It will take time to clean up the mess but we need to start now to dialogue with all nations to coordinate the work that needs to be done so that the generations to come will inherit a better planet than we inherited. I was impressed with the Holy Father's grasp of what needs to be done and who needs to do it.

What a way to describe our current environmental problems, and the way the Pope links Church doctrine with our moral responsibility to take care of our common home, it is just a beautiful; yet his message is a stern reminder that we ALL need to truly take care of Mother Earth. It is a message of "stop postponing your duties", we need to act every day; a global urgency to look for different ways to live, to produce.One aspect that sticks out to me is, we all want confort, we all need a lot of things, we are used to so much, but if we do not take care of our planet NOW, we will be the first ones to complain when the planet is no longer giving us all that we are used to receive and enjoy, like.... water. It is a call to stop wasting, a call to think deeper, and a call too to think of our less fortunate brothers and sisters all around the globe.I never read a encyclical letter in my life, at least, not in its entirety, only bits and pieces of some, but this a dear book now for me, that should be read for all of us.

Excellent and important papal document on global climate change, care for the environment, and the dangers of laissez-faire capitalism. Like Pope Francis' previous apostolic exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, it is refreshingly written in direct, down-to-earth language that contrasts sharply with the stiff and stilted tone that is traditional in Vatican documents. Laudato Si' disappoints in only one respect: in paragraph 50, it repeats the standard line of the Catholic bishops that global overpopulation is not a problem and that all issues of poverty and development can be addressed by less consumerism and fairer distribution of resources alone. This amounts to denial of the underlying ecological problem of overpopulation and the need for reduction in the global birthrate (i.e., the need for artificial birth control), and tends to undermine the Pope's overall argument. In fact, this paragraph (especially its vague, opaque final sentence) is, in its tone and outlook, so much at variance with the rest of this encyclical that I wonder whether paragraph 50 was even written by Pope Francis himself, or inserted as a compromise with opposing views inside the Vatican.

Good reference book, very inspiring.

wow - what an interesting book - he brings the sense of community home in a thought provoking way. this man has something valuable to say.

Excellent text to make us more conscious of our need to respect all of creation, especially asthe mentality in the world today as a throw away culture.

Ok but not great flavour.

Comprehensive analysis of what is really destroying our planet and the human race. A must read for anyone concerned about present state of the environment and condition of humankind with a positive remedy filled with hope.