Laudate Deum – Praise God

These are the opening words of the Apostolic Exhortation (Letter of Encouragement) from Pope Francis. He wrote this letter to all people of goodwill on October 4, the feast of St Francis of Assisi. It is a follow up to his groundbreaking letter Laudato Si’, which he wrote eight years ago. It was released in advance of Cop28, which is taking place in Dubai from November 30 through to December 12.
In the letter the Pope recognises that our reactions and the steps that we have taken regarding climate change have turned out to be increasingly insufficient. While some still doubt, the vast majority of people understand that climate change is undeniable, and its effects are becoming more and more evident. There is no doubt that human activity is the cause of this problem and all of us have to accept some responsibility for the problem.?The experience of the recent Covid-19 pandemic has taught us that everything is connected and that no one is saved alone. Many turn to technology and economic power for solutions to all our problems. In many ways this route has led us to believe that nature is a resource for us to exploit and our justification has been the mantra “maximum profit at the lowest cost”, thus weakening our concern for our common home, the earth. ?Global cooperation and multilateral agreements between nations are necessary if we are to ensure the global common good. While it is true that international conferences have been held to address the climate crisis, they have mostly failed due to the lack of effective monitoring and sanctioning mechanism. Cop28, now going on in Dubai, could be an important turning point if it can demonstrate that the efforts since 1992 have been genuine. However, the necessary transition is not progressing fast enough. We need to overcome the tendency to look for isolated technical solutions since we run the risk of remaining locked in the logic of patching-up, while a process of deterioration that we nourish is advancing underneath. ?National leaders and policy makers must think of the common good and the future of their children, for what is the point of preserving today a power that will be remembered for its inability to intervene when it was urgent and necessary to do so? The Holy Father reminds all Catholics of their faith in God and their responsibility to care for God’s creation, which implies respecting the laws of nature and recognising the beauty and richness of divine creation.

Laudate Deum – Praise God because human beings who pretend to take the place of God become the worst danger to themselves.

In blessed hope,

+Terry