Having chosen 'Francis ' as his papal name it should perhaps be no surprise to us that Pope Francis expressed his concerns about the Earth in an encyclical entitled 'Laudato Si''. Borrowing the title from the first line of his namesake,Saint Francis of Assisi's, famous, poetic prayer, the Canticle of the Sun.
Saint Francis is revered as a champion of the environment and on the second anniversary of the publication of 'Laudato Si''it is worth reflecting on our shared responsibility for 'our common home'.
The encyclical gives us the opportunity to think of and reflect on our world today and to respond to the issues and problems we see around us. We are asked to reject the 'throwaway' culture that surrounds us and to remember that God is present in all of creation.
We are asked to recognise that many of our brothers and sisters around the world are being pushed deeper into poverty by climate change. Pope Francis urges us to hear ''both the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor ". He doesn't just want us to hear that cry he wants us to respond by taking action to make changes in our own lives and those of our communities.
But Pope Francis recognises that while climate change is vitally important it is part of a bigger problem about how we organise our common home.
"If we approach nature and the environment without this openness to awe and wonder, if we no longer speak the language of fraternity and beauty in our relationship with the world, our attitude will be that of, masters, consumers, ruthless exploiters, unable to set limits on their immediate needs. By contrast, if we feel intimately united with all that exists, then sobriety and care will well up spontaneously."
The Holy Father encourages us to bring our faith to bear when we consider these issues and to be respectful to the environment but also to ourselves, those around us and to sister earth who, like us, was created by God.
'Laudato Si''has been well received around the world and has been recognised as an extremely welcome and timely contribution to the debate. In the two years since its publication there has been an upsurge in interest about the environment and in action to respond to the Holy Father's concerns.
Two of the most popular publications produced by SCIAF in recent times have been a study guide produced to accompany reflection on the encyclical and a booklet 'Care for Our Common Home' which describes simple ways in which individuals and parishes can take action to reduce their carbon footprint and give back to their local communities. (copies of both publications are still available from SCIAF on 0141 354 5555).
Many parishes in Scotland have also signed up to 'Eco Congregation' (www.ecocongregationscotland.org) and have received awards in recognition of their work. But there is a lot more to do and the recent rejection of the Paris Climate Accord by President Trump demonstrates the scale of the task ahead of us if we are to break down the walls of indifference as Pope Francis suggests.
If you would like to know more about SCIAF's campaign work on the issue of climate justice please contact
ww.sciaf.org.uk/campaigns.
Living God,
have mercy on us,
for the times we forget
that we belong to each other.
You call us to be still,
to hear the whisper of our Sister Wind,
to feel the radiance of our Brother Sun,
to be nourished by our Mother Earth.
Renew us in your healing love.
Inspire us to water the earth,
and nurture one another,
so all may flourish.
Together as one family,
may we always sing your praise.
through Christ our Lord,
Amen
Prayer by Rachel McCarthy, CAFOD.