In 2013, Jorge Mario Bergoglio accepted the leadership of the Catholic Church as its pope. He took the papal name Francis in honor of Saint Francis who demonstrated with love, generosity, and open-heartedness to all members of the Creation “how inseparable the bond is between concern for nature, justice for the poor, commitment to society, and interior peace” as he and to show his commitment to the causes of the poor and the Earth. Of St. Francis, he said:
His response to the world around him was so much more than intellectual appreciation or economic calculus, for to him each and every creature was a sister united to him by bonds of affection. … Such a conviction cannot be written off as naive romanticism, for it affects the choices which determine our behavior.
Pope Francis reminds Catholics “not to behave like dissident predators where nature is concerned, but to assume responsibility for it, taking all care so that everything stays healthy and integrated, so as to offer a welcoming and friendly environment even to those who succeed us.”
So strong were his words in the Laudato Si’, an encyclical letter to the Catholic Church, that people of other faiths and no faith paid attention to him.
If we. . . feel intimately united with all that exists, then sobriety and care will well up spontaneously. . . . Everything is related, and we human beings are united as brothers and sisters on a wonderful pilgrimage, woven together by the love God has for each of his creatures and which also unites us in fond affection with brother sun, sister moon, brother river, and mother earth.”
On Human Tyranny Over the Welfare of Animals
In his letter, the pope had strong words for those who put financial gain and the lure of human tyranny over the welfare of animals. He wrote that “the Bible has no place for tyrannical anthropocentricsm unconcerned for other creatures” and that the Church no longer states that other creatures are completely subordinated to humans nor can they be treated poorly as if they have no value in themselves. Cruelty toward any creature is “contrary to human dignity.” Dominion is more properly understood as responsible stewardship, not mastery over the world.
We are not God. … [N]owadays 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.
[W]hen our hearts are authentically open to universal communion, this sense of fraternity excludes nothing and no one. It follows that our indifference or cruelty towards fellow creatures of this world sooner or later affects the treatment we mete out to other human beings.”
[T]he creatures of this world no longer appear to us under merely natural guise because the risen One is mysteriously holding them to himself and directing them towards fullness as their end.
On Biodiversity
The pope speaks of biodiversity and the role each species plays in the well-being of the planet. He warns of the potential consequences of human activity being responsible for the loss of plants, microorganisms, and animals which may be of benefit to humans. But that is not the only reason we should care.
It is not enough, however, to think of different species merely as potential ‘resources’ to be exploited, while overlooking the fact that they have value in themselves…Because of us, thousands of species will no longer give glory to God by their very existence, nor convey their message to us. We have no such right.
Previous Popes Who Spoke on Behalf of the Environment and Animals
Pope Francis was not the first pope to speak out on behalf of the environment and animals. In his encyclical, he wrote: “In 1971, eight years after Pacem in Terris, Blessed Pope Paul VI referred to the ecological concern as “a tragic consequence” of unchecked human activity: “Due to an ill-considered exploitation of nature, humanity runs the risk of destroying it and becoming, in turn, a victim of this degradation”.
He also spoke of Benedict XVI who proposed “eliminating the structural causes of the dysfunctions of the world economy and correcting models of growth which have proved incapable of ensuring respect for the environment.” Benedict observed that the world cannot be analyzed by isolating only one of its aspects, since “the book of nature is one and indivisible”. He asked us to recognize that the natural environment of which we are part has been gravely damaged by our irresponsible behavior.
[ creation is harmed] “where we ourselves have the final word, where everything is simply our property and we use it for ourselves alone. The misuse of creation begins when we no longer recognize any higher instance than ourselves, when we see nothing else but ourselves.
Pope John Paul II wrote in his encyclicals that authentic human development has a moral character that presumes full respect for the human person and concern for the world around us. It must “take into account the nature of each being and of its mutual connection in an ordered system”. Accordingly, our human ability to transform reality must proceed in line with God’s original gift of all that is.
Reference
- ENCYCLICAL LETTER LAUDATO SI’ OF THE HOLY FATHER FRANCIS ON CARE FOR OUR COMMON HOME – http://w2.vatican.va/content/dam/francesco/pdf/encyclicals/documents/papa-francesco_20150524_enciclica-laudato