An immense pile of filth
Pope Francis drops the T
One day the world will wake up and give the correct amount of attention to what religious leaders have to say. While this dream doesn’t come true it is cause for celebration when one of them publishes something that does not occur just inside of their own head.
This Thursday his holiness the Pope issued a memo to all his VPs (AKA bishops) containing his thoughts on the problem of global warming. Instead of blaming us humans in it for pissing off God — which in turn would force Him to punish us with more and more waves of heat—, Pope Francis took the sensible road and said it as it is:
“Humanity is called to take conscience of the necessity of changes in lifestyles, of production and of consumption, to combat this [global] warming, or at least the human causes that produce it or accelerate it.”
For the first time since I started trying to ignore what popes say on press releases one statement has caught my attention. Of course Pope Francis had already expressed positive views on gay acceptance, the fight on poverty and football — which are all problems worth discussing —, but never in a way that was this official.
The Pope’s views in a document like the encyclical function as the Catholic Church’s positioning on the subject. He’s the CEO, after all. Now during masses priest can talk (openly) about our individual contribution towards the Apocalypse, which can be effective in a large scale. Recycling and using renewable energy might become gateways to heaven too.
“The earth, our home, is beginning to look more and more like an immense pile of filth.” — Pope Francis
Another good thing about the encyclical is that it opened the door so other denominations could also make their position on global warming clear. Imam Mohamed Magid of the Islamic Society of North America, for example, said to TIME Magazine that “people of all faiths can come together for this cause because the concept of stewardship on Earth is a shared belief.” A proof, thus, that a bit of sensibleness can bring people of so distinct creeds together.
Whatever the Pope says still resonates strongly around the world. It is more effective in all senses, then, to talk about real issues than about the deathly sin that is the use of contraceptive methods. Religion should be a comforting and educating experience, not a constant struggle to revalidate beaten dogmas. This man Jorge Mario seems wise enough to understand he can only do good to people if people listen to him — so he’s adapting.
This Pope is pop.
