Press Republican
In late June, Pope Francis issued a 184-page encyclical, “Laudato Si."
This was not a spur-of-the-moment decision but evolved over many months, with the Pontifical Academy of Sciences playing a leading role.
In April of this year, “scientists, religious figures and policymakers gathered at the Vatican to discuss the science of global warming and the danger posed to the world’s poorest people.” (Nature,p596,Vol520,30April2015).
The chancellor of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, Bishop Sorondo, said: “essentially all documents published now accept as a scientific truth that climate change is due to human activity” (ibid p597).
The encyclical goes even further and mentions the “relentless exploitation and destruction of the environment and says apathy, the relentless pursuit of profits, excessive faith in technology, and political shortsightedness are to blame” (NYTimes June 19, 2015).