Pope Francis delivers a message to the youth during his visit to the University of Santo Tomas last January 18. Photo by Adrian Castillo
Pope Francis called humanity for radical changes in “lifestyle, production and consumption” to help avert human-driven global warming and climate change and protect Earth.
“In truly caring for others and for the environment, disinterested concern, self-centeredness and self-absorption must be discarded,” said the Pope in the new papal encyclical entitled Laudato Si.
“If we can overcome individualism, we will truly be able to develop a different lifestyle and bring about significant changes in society.”
The encyclical also supported practical steps that benefit the society like recycling, taking the public transit, car-pooling, conservation of energy and water.
For Abbeygail Jean Gonzales, an incoming AB Communication Arts senior, this serves as a wakeup call. “Tingin ko ito na ‘yung ‘calling’ sa atin na gawin ‘yung dapat gawin para sa environment. Dahil ang environment ay regalo sa atin ni God kaya dapat lang na alagaan natin [ito.]”
Gonzales added that even the little things can contribute a bigger impact to the betterment of the environment.
Karen Krizia Constante, an incoming AB Journalism senior, shared that joining organizations that promote environment-friendly practices and influencing other youth to take good care of our environment through social media, are ways which she can contribute.
One of these organizations is Earth-UST, the premier environmental University-wide student organization of the University of Santo Tomas, which “proudly favors” Laudato Si.
“This exemplifies humanity’s short-sightedness in that we do not consider how our actions today will reverberate for decades, even centuries,” Earth-UST said in an online interview with TomasinoWeb.
Francis denounced the excessive worship of technology, irrational consumerism, human exploitation and the throwaway culture for causing environmental degradation.
“The Earth, our home, is beginning to look more and more like an immense pile of filth,” the Pope said wanting an urgent action to fix the “structurally perverse” economic system of the rich which caused the deterioration.
As part of a generation which keeps witnessing advancements in many fields, Janis Alano, another incoming AB Journalism senior said, “Though for us this means our lives will be made easier, kailangan parin natin i-keep in mind ‘yung sinabi ni Pope that modern innovations do not equal to progress for humanity.”
“Kailangan tayo, na mas bata pa at marami pang ideas to change the world, ma-gets ‘yung message na ‘to so we’ll be able to work on things in a way that doesn’t kill the world we’re making these advancements for,” Alano said.
The Pope claimed that these challenges mostly affect the “most vulnerable people on the planet” – the world’s poorest. If these modern trends continue, it will have its worst impact to the poor as they lack resources to adapt to climate change and thus, are not capable of protection from disasters.
Pope Francis appealed in the 184-page manifesto for a new dialogue on how people shape the future of the “common home.” “We need a conversation which includes everyone, since the environmental challenge we are undergoing, and its human roots, concern and affect us all.”
Though he stated that progress has been made in terms of worldwide ecological movement and in raising awareness on the matter, concrete solutions were proven ineffective because of “powerful opposition” and “general lack of interest.”
Humanity’s dignity ‘at stake’
The Pontiff also strongly criticized abortion, saying that caring and protecting for nature does not validate the act of abortion and controlling the population does not solve the problem.
“To blame population growth instead of extreme and selective consumerism on the part of some, is one way of refusing to face the issues,” he stated in the encyclical.
Furthermore, he stressed that “valuing one’s own body in its femininity or masculinity is necessary” as well as learning to accept, care and respect one’s body is important to be able to enjoy the specific gifts of others.
“What kind of world do we want to leave to those who come after us, to children who are now growing up?” he asked, urging “every people living in this planet” to help save the Earth for future generations and “see that what is at stake is humanity’s dignity.”
In January 2015, Francis also shared these sentiments to the Filipino youth in his encounter with them in the University. “It is a challenge, which is a challenge of integrity. This is not only because your country, more than many others, is likely to be seriously affected by climate change. It is a challenge to [have] concern for the environment.”
Pope Francis’ second encyclical, Laudato Si means “Praise be to you” and is taken from the first line of “Canticle of the Sun” by Saint Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of ecology. The encyclical has a subtitle, “On Care for Our Common Home” and was published Thursday, June 18.
It is the first papal document to focus on creation care and ecology although it is not the first time that Popes addressed environmental degradation. Pope Paul VI in 1971, Pope St. John Paul II’s 1979 encyclical Redemptor Hominis (The Redeemer of Man) and Pope Benedict XVI in 2007 issued statements regarding the crisis.
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