We see plenty of news stories about climate science and the politicians who reject that research, but not many people can command international attention by discussing the moral implications of all that science. The Pope is one of those people.
On Thursday, the Vatican released a highly anticipated “encyclical”—a weighty letter from the Pope to the rest of the Roman Catholic Church—on the environment and, yes, climate science. The encyclical was a priority for Pope Francis, who took his name from Saint Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals and—as of 1979—ecologists. The pontiff had the assistance of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences in preparing the 184 page document (published in eight languages), which includes some pretty detailed discussions of environmental science.
Although the hype leading up to the document’s release centered on the issue of climate change, it is actually aimed more broadly at the relationship between humanity and our environment. The Pope quotes St. Francis’ description of “our Sister, Mother Earth," and writes, “This sister now cries out to us because of the harm we have inflicted on her by our irresponsible use and abuse of the good with which God has endowed her.”
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