Japos, Gerard F.

2/11/2019

AB Political Science 4 Philo 24

LAUDATO SI

The word “care” spells out the embracing message of Pope Francis on Mother

Earth. Care for the poor, care for the planet, care for nature, care for the communities,

care for people — care for God’s creation. Pope Francis speaks all about “caring for our

common home” in Laudato Si’. Caring for the Earth is inseparable from social justice.

According to Pope Francis “We need to strengthen the conviction that we are one

single human family. There are no frontiers or barriers, political or social, behind which

we can hide, still less is there room for the globalization of indifference.” (Laudato Si’

#53). Caring for the Earth is ending environmental or climate change (Laudato Si’ #24),

“which are already being dramatically felt in many countries, especially the insular

states of the Pacific, remind us of the gravity of neglect and inaction. The time to find

global solutions is running out. We can find appropriate solutions only if we act together

and in agreement.

Caring for the Earth is a call for us to collectively divest, re-channeling our

resources for the common good, contributing to a pro-people and pro-environment

investment so that our resources can cripple the profit-driven powers of business and

individuals. An effective fight against global warming will be possible only through a

responsible collective action, which overcomes particular interests and behaviors and
develops unfettered by political and economic pressures. A collective response which is

also capable of overcoming mistrust and of fostering a culture of solidarity.

Caring for the Earth is caring for the poor and vulnerable, “the human

environment and the natural environment deteriorate together; we cannot adequately

combat environmental degradation unless we attend to causes related to human and

social degradation.