The much anticipated encyclical from Pope Francis I on man's moral responsibility for stewardship of the Earth, "Laudato Si" ("Be praised"), has been released. Here's the text.
The Associated Press summarizes:
Pope Francis called Thursday for a bold cultural revolution to correct what he calls the "structurally perverse" economic system of the rich exploiting the poor that is turning Earth into an "immense pile of filth."
In a sweeping manifesto aimed at spurring action in U.N. climate negotiations, domestic politics and everyday life, Francis explains the science of global warming, which he blames on an unfair, fossil fuel-based industrial model that he says harms the poor most. Citing Scripture and past popes' and bishops' appeals, he urges people of all faiths and no faith to undergo an awakening to save God's creation for future generations.
It's an indictment of big business and climate doubters alike.
"It is not enough to balance, in the medium term, the protection of nature with financial gain, or the preservation of the environment with progress," he writes. "Halfway measures simply delay the inevitable disaster. Put simply, it is a matter of redefining our notion of progress."It's even more than we expected from this remarkable breath of fresh air in the Catholic church.
Meanwhile, tiny right-wing heads are exploding. (And fat ones, too.)
