"We are not God. The Earth was here before us and was given to us." Says Pope Francis in his Encyclical on Climate Change released by the Vatican today June 19th 2015

"We are not God. The Earth was here before us and was given to us."

Says Pope Francis in his Encyclical on Climate Change released by the Vatican today June 19^th 2015.

By Elsie Gabriel.

 

 

"We are not God. The Earth was here before us and was given to us!" Says Pope Francis in his Encyclical on Climate Change released by the Vatican today June 19^th 2015. Yes,the news has spread far and wide. As head of the Church, the papal call out to unite for the environment is a clarion call.

Pope Francis, further very bravely talks about industrial waste overtaking the planet, calls for renewable fuel subsidies and energy efficiency, global environmental deterioration and says that we have mistreated “our common home’ the planet, in his Encyclical on Climate Change released by the Vatican today June 19^th 2015.

The Green Pontiff is being hailed as the green proactive catholic chief with great pride. But do you actually know what an Encyclical actually is? The Encyclical, actualdefinition in the Roman Catholic Church says it is a letter addressed by the pope to all the bishops of the church.

So in this 192 pages document released from the Vatican, Pope Francis lays out the argument for a new link between science and religion, to advocate the fight against climate change.Pope Francis very well comes to the point straight away saying in this document to his people, “Now, faced as we are with global environmental deterioration, I wish to address every person living on this planet. In my Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium I wrote to all the members of the Church with the aim of encouraging ongoing missionary renewal. In this Encyclical, I would like to enter into dialogue with all people about our common home.”

In another quote the Pope goes on to state, "The Earth, our home, is beginning to look more and more like an immense pile of filth. In many parts of the planet, the elderly lament that once beautiful landscapes are now covered with rubbish."

The Pope's Encyclical on 'Climate Change' is a big deal for those of us in the ecology, environment and sustainability fields. It's a massive boost and may help move societies all over the world to real action from empty words.

The 'environment education for the youth and community' is what I dedicate my time to working for every day, a beautiful vision for a sustainable and thriving future is what I see, more powerful green young citizens is what I can fuel.

Pope Francis is a Green Pope and his message of ecology is what we all can embrace. This is fantastic on behalf of the Pope because it’s not about religion or politics any more, it is now all about proactive awareness on a war footing to help save our planet from climate change.

I think it is the renewal of the green faith, a call to embrace the moral imperatives of everything from car pooling to temperature control, check consumption, planting trees, animal rights to solar panels.

I am all set to embrace this ecological conversion, Christian or not, the earth needs you to be her faithful! The Pontiff goes on to call the earth his sister, “This sister now cries out to us because of the harm we have inflicted on her by our irresponsible use and abuse of the goods with which God has endowed her. We have come to see ourselves as her lords and masters, entitled to plunder her at will. The violence present in our hearts, wounded by sin, is also reflected in the symptoms of sickness evident in the soil, in the water, in the air and in all forms of life. This is why the earth herself, burdened and laid waste, is among the most abandoned and maltreated of our poor; she “groans in travail” (Rom 8:22). We have forgotten that we ourselves are dust of the earth (cf. Gen 2:7); our very bodies are made up of her elements, we breathe her air and we receive life and refreshment from her waters.”

Pope Francis could not have chosen a better time with countries gathering this year end to chalk out a plan of cooperation on climate change this December in Paris, rightly saying- "Never have we so hurt and mistreated our common home as we have in the last 200 years."

What wrong have the ‘poor’ done to suffer from climate change? Food shortage, hunger, disease, sickness and inequality, all because the careless contribute towards climate change.  We are all children of the same God, aren’t we??

[About the writer-Founder of the Young Environmentalists Programme trust Mumbai India and Climate Reality Mentor trained by former VP USA Al Gore. Elsie is also a writer for the last 18 years on environment education and has authored a book called Get Out Get Going Outdoors which promotes bonding with nature outdoors. She is also a certified Green teacher and post graduate in environment law. She lectures on climate change and EVS in academic institutions. ]