Pope Francis prayed people would learn to contemplate God in the universe and protect life on the World Day of Care for Creation.
Laudato si’: Pope Francis’s Encyclical on the Environment
Examining Our Aspirations
WHILE READING a United Nations Development Program report on violence in Latin America, I encountered the term “aspirational crimes,” used to explain the tragic acceleration in crimes on and by young people. The term refers to crimes motivated by money and the irresistible desire for consumption. Partly this is to support one’s family in situations where poverty is intolerable. But a large part is for the “cool” gadgets, shoes, clothes, electronics, etc., that swell a young man’s swagger and elevate his position within a gang, mark his achievement and anesthetize his misery for the moment.
Pope Designates World Day of Care for Creation
Like their Orthodox brothers and sisters, Catholics formally will mark Sept. 1 as the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, Pope Francis said.
Integral Ecology
The news last week concerning the killing of Cecil the lion by U.S. citizen Walter Palmer is troubling and tragic to say the least. And yes, we can join our voices to the obvious inconsistency that more people are outraged by the murder of an animal than by the slaughter of the innocent unborn in […]
Dominicans Connect With Pope’s Words (with slide show)
Caring for all of God’s creation is the theme of Pope Francis’ recent encyclical “Laudato si’.” It’s also been at the heart of a farming project conducted for the past 20 years by the Sisters of St. Dominic at their motherhouse in Amityville, L.I.
Heading to the Beach – With the Pope’s Encyclical
The pope’s writing on climate change and the environment garnered a lot of press, even hostile criticism, before it was published. Let’s hope it continues to command attention. It’s long, but not difficult.
Meaning of Encyclical
Dear Editor: As we know, an encyclical is one the highest forms of teaching from the pope. I was quite disappointed by your editorial (“Impacting the World,” June 27): watering down the extensive content of the message to a “care for each other,” which is the core message but without mentioning any local commitment to […]
Pope Urges Mayors to Fight Climate Change
After decades of world leaders trying to set global goals to address climate change and extreme poverty, city mayors gathered at the Vatican to pledge they will take real action.
Make Earth a Better Place
My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord, As I read the latest Encyclical of our Holy Father, Pope Francis, “Laudato Si’, On Care for Our Common Home,” I could not help but remember my own grandfather, who coincidentally was named Francesco. I learned from my grandfather the essentials of human ecology at a time perhaps when it did not even have a name. He taught me respect for the environment; never waste water, always make sure that the lights are turned off, recycle everything that we use, make a compost heap in the garden, make sure that nothing is wasted.
Papal Visits Emphasize Poor, Forgotten
Pope Francis did not call for an end to capitalism, but for an end to selfishness, exclusion and an attitude that sees the “unproductive” – whether they are unemployed, elderly or the unborn – as disposable.