This is a summary of a recent Conversation that was shared with Transitions Hobsons Bay.
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The Papal Encyclical on Climate Change
At a recent Friday Conversation in Williamstown, we discussed the new papal encyclical entitled Laudato Si – Care for our Common Home. Pope Francis calls on his followers to accept the immensity and urgency of the challenge facing humanity at this time. “The urgent challenge to protect our common home includes a concern to bring the whole human family together to seek a sustainable and integral development”, he writes.
Our discussion covered the role of papal encyclicals which carry with them the authority of the Catholic Church. They are clearly more than discussion papers, and Catholics are expected to treat them with respect, even if they disagree with the main arguments. Laudato Si is likely therefore to have a significant effect on the Church, raising the issue of climate change to a new level among many nations in the world.
We also thought that it will influence faithful members of the Catholic Church here in Australia as they ponder its practical implications. And it will further isolate current members of the Abbott government’s Cabinet, many of whom are Catholic, if they continue to dismiss or disparage the
We also rather enjoyed this cartoon.
Conversations for the Curious
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