Pope to make climate action a moral obligation

[theredpen]

The Pope is expected to use his first address to the United Nations to deliver a powerful warning over climate change in a move to adopt protection of the environment as a "moral" cause for the Catholic Church and its billion-strong following.

The New York speech is likely to contain an appeal for sustainable development, and it will follow an unprecedented Encyclical (a message to the wider church) on the subject, senior diplomatic sources have told The Independent.

Full article http://news.independent.co.uk/europe/article2987811.ece">here.

This is great news. I was impressed that some American evangelicals have announced a "green" agenda (could it be possible that they want a ministry that's based on more than just hating homosexuals and unwed mothers?!), and it's great to see B16 make such a bold statement on this issue.

I was curious as to the Freeper response, as there is a strong faction of Catholics there. The http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1901385/posts">Freeper Thread has had the expected deluge of Pope bashing from the fundies. What's surprising is that it hasn't been meet with the usual outrage from the Catholic Freepers. Instead, there's mostly mealy-mouthed denial about the Pope's anticipated message. For http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1901385/posts?page=40#40">example: "I personally think that the media is inserting the phrase 'moral obligation' to stir up controversy."

Several Catholic Freepers have announced their intention to disregard the Encyclical. I guess the "cafeteria is closed" faction left the back door to the cafeteria unlocked.

[DemBones DemBones]

1. Some conservative Catholics are saying that the pope

is just doing this to please "the liberals," whom they consider to be the source of all the world's problems. Apparently they don't know that "liberal" means "generous," which is certainly a quality Jesus encouraged.

I look forward to this Encyclical and hope it will inspire more environmental concern among Catholics. As Pope Benedict XVI said, environmental problems affect the poor far more than the rich, so this is a social justice issue as well.

We are supposed to be stewards of the Earth.

We have not done a very good job of it since the Industrial Revolution. We will have to change. The sooner the changes are made, the less drastic differences they will make in our lives. It's long past time to get serious about caring for our home planet.

[mrgorth]

2. Awesome!

!