The Right of the Environment

Pope Francis’ trip to the United States this month generated enormous interest and attendance at the events, with nearly a million people (including me) at a mass in Philadelphia. There were many millions more who watched the Pope’s events on television. While the interest in the recent Laudato Si encyclical on the environment was significant, the attention paid to the Pope’s words during his U.S. trip exceeded that.

In case you missed the Pope’s comments on the environment:

He spoke of the environment on multiple occasions and venues. In some cases he went even further than he had gone in Laudato Si. This was most notable when he proclaimed at the United Nations that a true “right of the environment” exists (analogous to human rights).

In other appearances, Pope Francis said a lot more about what this means. For example, “We Christians, along with the other mono-theistic religions, believe that the universe is the fruit of a loving decision by the Creator, who permits man respectfully to use creation for the good of his fellow men and for the glory of the Creator; he is not authorized to abuse it, much less to destroy it. In all religions, the environment is a fundamental goal.”

He alluded to the creation of jobs and livelihoods as an outgrowth of business activity that contribute to the common good. “This common good also includes the earth.” “The right use of natural resources, the proper application of technology and the harnessing of the spirit of enterprise are essential elements of an economy which seeks to be modern, inclusive, and sustainable.”

He warned us all that “A selfish and boundless thirst for power and material prosperity leads both to the misuse of available natural resources and to the exclusion of the weak and disadvantaged.” Francis is well known for his concern for the poor and for those “excluded” by society. “They [the poor] are cast off by society, forced to live off what is discarded and suffer unjustly from the abuse of the environment.”

He went further when he said, “The ecological crisis, and the large-scale destruction of biodiversity, can threaten the very existence of the human species”.

At his concluding Mass in Philadelphia, he noted, “The urgent challenge of protecting our home includes the effort to bring the entire human family together in the pursuit of a sustainable and integral development.”

“Any harm done to the environment, therefore, is harm done to humanity”

I agree.

Praised Be The Earth

Pope Francis had it right. His Papal encyclical, Laudato si (Praise Be to You — On Care for Our Common Home) makes a passionate case for environmental awareness, concern, and action. Most of the media coverage focused on the Pope’s commentary about climate change. The Pope’s strong statements in support of the scientific consensus are indeed notable—but not in my opinion the most important part of the encyclical. Laudato si’s most important aspect is the clear building of a moral case for sustainable development–sustainable in terms of including a far greater share of the world’s population than the current system does and sustainable in terms of treating the Earth like the treasure it is and not simply as a resource to be exploited and left for dead.

Part of the significance of Laudato si is, of course, the fact that its message is now part of the official teachings of the Catholic Church. It is true that environmental consciousness is not the encylical’s sole aspect–however this is surely the first encyclical where the environment plays so prominent a role. An environmental perspective is in fact part and parcel of a moral aspect that must accompany economic development. Simply by dedicating such a large portion of Laudato si to concerns of the environment, Pope Francis has ensured that many, many people will make the environment part of their concerns, also.

But Pope Francis raises issues far beyond environmental awareness. He challenges all of us (not limited to Catholics) to consider “the relationship of human beings to the world”–and by extension, one’s own relationship to the world. This is the foundation of adding a moral dimension to the environmental/economic equation. In the Pope’s view, much of the economic system of the developed world is built on a foundation of ultimate environmental degradation. The introduction of another dimension (in this case, a moral/spiritual one) can only help address the imbalance of economic prosperity (for some) at the cost of environmental desecration (for too many others).

The Pope is especially concerned about how humanity relates to God’s gift of the earth. He considers the earth as a “shared inheritance” for all humanity. Not unique to Catholic teachings, the Pope elevates environmental awareness to a core moral obligation, with a strong spiritual component as well. This moral/spiritual component transforms the economic/environmental discussion from a duopoly into a triangle. As the zone of discussion widens, the ultimate results will probably be different than what we have now in terms of development.

I have read several commentaries to the effect that the Pope’s words will remain that, simply words. They will fail in the realm of realpolitick, I think that is beside the point. The strongest impact of the Pope’s words will be how they are absorbed and repeated, both within the Catholic Church as part of significant Church teaching, and probably even more importantly, by laypeople (not just Catholics) who are inspired by the Pope’s message of adding a moral and spiritual dimension to their consideration of how economic growth and environmental awareness should interact.