Pope Francis on Wednesday 4 October released a new document on the environment that he described as the ‘second part’ of his 2015 encyclical Laudato Si, and which warns of ‘grave consequences’ if humanity continues to ignore the threat of climate change.
The apostolic exhortation, titled Laudate Deum (Praise God), is meant to address what Pope Francis in the document calls the ‘global social issue’ of climate change. The pope said that in the eight years since Laudato Si was published, ‘our response has not been adequate’ to address ongoing ecological concerns.
‘Climate change is one of the principal challenges facing society and the global community,’ the Pope wrote in the document, arguing that its effects are borne by the worlds ‘most vulnerable people’ and that the climate issue is ‘no longer a secondary or ideological question.’
Francis wrote that the effects of climate change ‘are here and increasingly evident,’ and warned of increasing heat waves and the possible melting of the polar ice caps, which he said would lead to ‘immensely grave consequences for everyone.’
‘Praise God is the title of this letter’, Francis wrote ‘For when human beings claim to take God’s place, they become their own worst enemies.’ Laudate Deum publication date – Oct 4 – is the feast of St Francis of Assisi, from whom Francis drew his pontifical name at the start of his papacy in 2013.
