Pastor's Corner, July 19, 2015

Dear Parishioners and Friends,

Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si’ did not come out of a papal vacuum. What I mean is that the papacy has spoken often on the issue of creation, especially since the Second Vatican Council. The Holy Father points out that Pope Paul VI, Saint John Paul II and Pope Benedict have written and spoken on ecological matters in a variety of ways over the last several decades. They have commented on the potential “ecological catastrophe,” the need for “authentic social and moral progress” as we advance scientifically and technologically, and that the environment has been gravely damaged by our irresponsible behavior (cf. 4-6). These concerns have been echoed by our brothers and sisters in the orthodox churches for many years.

I think this brief historical perspective is important. Pope Francis is not some renegade pope proclaiming new doctrines. His thought is a continuation of reflections from a variety of magisterial and church documents and this encyclical should be seen within that framework. 

A great inspiration behind the new encyclical is the person and teaching of St. Francis of Assisi. Pope Francis calls his patron saint “the example par excellence of care for the vulnerable and of an integral ecology” (10). For him, “creation was a sister united to him by bonds of affection” (11).

In Christ,

Msgr. Baker