Recent controversy over the challenging encyclical of Pope Francis has taken the discussion on the Climate Crisis hostage. I’m not too interested in the Climate Crisis. I save on water and electricity because I also like to save money. I’m not a glutton. There are spheres of influence. The Climate is not a sphere that I influence. However, I recognize that this debate has politicians confused. Presidential candidates thought they had a death grip on the catholic vote. I don’t care much for Presidential candidates because one of them inevitably becomes president and screws up the country. I don’t worry myself about politicians either. CATHOLICS. I care about Catholics. I care about Christians. I care about humans. But I care about Catholics more. And I care about the my Catholic Church very much. That is why I’d like to offer chunks of Chesterton’s wisdom to shed light on the perspective of Pope Francis’s recent encyclical Laudato Si, chunks of wisdom from said document, and chunks of wisdom from St Francis himself.
Chesterton wrote a book about St Francis
Three quotes from Chesterton
“St. Francis was a man who did not want to see the wood for the trees. He wanted to see each tree as a separate and almost a sacred thing, being a child of God and therefore a brother or sister of man.”
“Men will not believe because they will not broaden their minds. As a matter of individual belief, I should of course express it by saying they are not sufficiently catholic to be Catholic.”
“Another and quite different stream of spiritual inspiration derives largely from him; all that reforming energy of medieval and modern times that goes to the burden of Deus est Deus Pauperum. His abstract ardor for human beings was in a multitude of just medieval laws against the pride and cruelty of riches; it is to-day behind much that is loosely called Christian Socialist and can more correctly be called Catholic Democrat.”
Pope Francis looks to shape his pontificate after the charismatic life of St Francis
Three quotes from Pope Francis
“A sense of deep communion with the rest of nature cannot be real if our hearts lack tenderness, compassion and concern for our fellow human beings. It is clearly inconsistent to combat trafficking in endangered species while remaining completely indifferent to human trafficking, unconcerned about the poor, or undertaking to destroy another human being deemed unwanted.”
“We are always capable of going out of ourselves towards the other. Unless we do this, other creatures will not be recognized for their true worth; we are unconcerned about caring for things for the sake of others; we fail to set limits on ourselves in order to avoid the suffering of others or the deterioration of our surroundings. Disinterested concern for others, and the rejection of every form of self-centeredness and self-absorption, are essential if we truly wish to care for our brothers and sisters and for the natural environment. These attitudes also attune us to the moral imperative of assessing the impact of our every action and personal decision on the world around us. If we can overcome individualism, we will truly be able to develop a different lifestyle and bring about significant changes in society.”
“In calling to mind the figure of Saint Francis of Assisi, we come to realize that a healthy relationship with creation is one dimension of overall personal conversion, which entails the recognition of our errors, sins, faults and failures, and leads to heartfelt repentance and desire to change.”
Three quotes from St Francis:
“If you have men who will exclude any of God’s creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow men.”
“Start by doing what is necessary, then what is possible, and suddenly you are doing the impossible.”
“Sanctify yourself and you will sanctify society.”
Trebor Fairwell 