Religious or not, having some familiarity with the words to this "good man," is well worth having -- as he may prove to be a 'powerful ally', in our on-going pursuits of social and environmental justice, against the self-righteous forces of ignorance and bigotry.
5 Reasons Pope Francis' Encyclical on the Environment Matters
The first encyclical on the environment in the history of the Catholic Church has its detractors, but it also has the power to inspire meaningful climate action.
by Reynard Loki, AlterNet -- June 7, 2015
[...]
Pope Benedict, who immediately preceded Francis, is known as the first environmental pope. In a 2011 address to a group of Italian students, the so-called Green Pope said, "Respect for the human being and respect for nature are one and the same."
[...]In his earliest days as pontiff, Francis recognized the centrality of environmental stewardshipto the future of humanity. Just after his election, he said he chose the name Francis of Assisi because “for me, he is the man of poverty, the man of peace, the man who loves and protects creation. These days we do not have a very good relationship with creation, do we?”
[...]Speaking at a January 15 press conference, Pope Francis said the last U.N. climate change conference, held in Lima, Peru, in December, “was nothing great. I was disappointed by the lack of courage; things came to a stop at a certain point. Let’s hope that in Paris the delegates will be more courageous.” [...]
Francis appears to be a 'man of action' -- not willing to suffer fools (or foot-draggers) for long ...
10 key excerpts from Pope Francis’s encyclical on the environment
by Sarah Pulliam Bailey, washingtonpost.com -- June 18, 2015
[...]1) Climate change has grave implications. “Each year sees the disappearance of thousands of plant and animal species which we will never know, which our children will never see, because they have been lost forever,” he writes.
[...]
4) The importance of access to safe drinkable water is “a basic and universal human right.”
[...]
9) Individuals must act. “An integral ecology is also made up of simple daily gestures which break with the logic of violence, exploitation and selfishness,” he writes. We should also consider taking public transit, car-pooling, planting trees, turning off the lights and recycling.
10) By the way, why are we here on Earth in the first place? “What kind of world do we want to leave to those who come after us, to children who are now growing up?” he writes.
Good Points. Good Questions.