{"id":11308,"date":"2016-09-03T13:59:57","date_gmt":"2016-09-03T13:59:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/?p=11308"},"modified":"2016-09-03T13:59:57","modified_gmt":"2016-09-03T13:59:57","slug":"pope-francis-says-care-of-environment-a-new-work-of-mercy-by-josephine-mckenna","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/?p=11308","title":{"rendered":"Pope Francis says care of environment a new \u2018work of mercy\u2019 by Josephine McKenna"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><code><script src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\" async=\"\"><\/script><br \/>\n <!-- www.deltanewsroom.com --><br \/>\n <ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display: block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-2163942495525027\" data-ad-slot=\"1411897411\" data-ad-format=\"auto\"><\/ins><br \/>\n<script>\/\/ <![CDATA[\n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\n\/\/ ]]><\/script><\/code><\/p>\n<p><code><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.alternativeadvert.com\/show.php?z=30&amp;pl=10275&amp;ad_type=59&amp;rl=180\" width=\"300\" height=\"250\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/code><\/p>\n<p>Pope Francis has called for urgent action to stop climate change, saying care of the environment should be added to the traditional works of mercy such as feeding the hungry and sheltering the homeless.<\/p>\n<p>In a message released Thursday (Sept. 1) to mark the Catholic Church\u2019s World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, which Francis instituted last September, the pontiff noted that the worst impact of global warming was being felt by those least responsible for it \u2014 refugees and the poor.<\/p>\n<p>The latest message renews the powerful themes Francis launched in his encyclical on the environment, \u201cLaudato Si\u2019.\u201d The pope referred several times to humanity\u2019s destruction of the environment as a \u201csin\u201d and he stressed the need for \u201cmercy towards our common home.\u201d<br \/>\nIn an innovation that surprised many church-watchers and upset some traditionalists, Francis said that prayer and action to protect the environment should be added to the venerable seven corporal works of mercy and the seven spiritual works of mercy drawn from the Gospels and Christian tradition.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe usually think of the works of mercy individually and in relation to a specific initiative: hospitals for the sick, soup kitchens for the hungry, shelters for the homeless, schools for those to be educated, the confessional and spiritual direction for those needing counsel and forgiveness,\u201d Francis wrote.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut if we look at the works of mercy as a whole, we see that the object of mercy is human life itself and everything it embraces.\u201d<br \/>\nThe pope also cited the latest research to bolster his religious exhortation, noting that global warming has continued. He wrote that \u201c2015 was the warmest year on record, and 2016 will likely be warmer still. This is leading to ever more severe droughts, floods, fires and extreme weather events.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cClimate change is also contributing to the heart-rending refugee crisis. The world\u2019s poor, though least responsible for climate change, are most vulnerable and already suffering its impact.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The pope said \u201cwe have sinned\u201d and, referring to his encyclical from last year, he said mankind has turned God\u2019s creation into a \u201cpolluted wasteland\u201d full of \u201cdebris, desolation and filth.\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cWe must not be indifferent or resigned to the loss of biodiversity and the destruction of ecosystems, often caused by our irresponsible and selfish behavior,\u201d he said. \u201cBecause of us, thousands of species will no longer give glory to God by their very existence. \u2026 We have no such right.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><script src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\" async=\"\"><\/script><br \/>\n <!-- www.deltanewsroom.com --><br \/>\n <ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display: block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-2163942495525027\" data-ad-slot=\"1411897411\" data-ad-format=\"auto\"><\/ins><br \/>\n<script>\/\/ <![CDATA[\n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\n\/\/ ]]><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Francis stressed that human beings were \u201cdeeply connected\u201d to all elements of creation and needed to examine their conscience and repent.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen we mistreat nature, we also mistreat human beings. At the same time, each creature has its own intrinsic value that must be respected.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Returning to themes he mentioned in \u201cLaudato Si\u2019,\u201d the pope asked people to reflect and act on our system of \u201cprofit at any price,\u201d which had \u201cno concern for social exclusion or the destruction of nature.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He called for consumers to modify their modern lifestyle in a practical way \u2013 and consume less, plant trees, separate garbage and increase car pooling.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe resolve to live differently should affect our various contributions to shaping the culture and society in which we live,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>The pope also pressed for a social and political breakthrough and urged political and business leaders to think beyond self-interest.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEconomics and politics, society and culture cannot be dominated by thinking only of the short-term and immediate financial or electoral gains,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe protection of our common home requires a growing global political consensus.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Cardinal Peter Turkson, president of the Vatican\u2019s Council for Peace and Justice, said the pope was asking people to \u201cacknowledge the harm we are doing to the Earth through pollution, the scandalous destruction of ecosystems and loss of biodiversity, and the specter of climate change.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But Turkson, who is set to head a new Vatican department on human development, told a news conference it was possible to create change and arrest environmental destruction.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe should not think that our efforts \u2013 even our small gestures \u2013 don\u2019t matter,\u201d he said. \u201cVirtue, including ecological virtue, can be infectious.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>religionnews.com<a href=\"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/pope.jpg\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-8606\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-8606\" src=\"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/pope.jpg\" alt=\"pope\" width=\"266\" height=\"189\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><code><script src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\" async=\"\"><\/script><br \/>\n <!-- www.deltanewsroom.com --><br \/>\n <ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display: block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-2163942495525027\" data-ad-slot=\"1411897411\" data-ad-format=\"auto\"><\/ins><br \/>\n<script>\/\/ <![CDATA[\n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\n\/\/ ]]><\/script><\/code><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.alternativeadvert.com\/show.php?z=30&amp;pl=10275&amp;ad_type=59&amp;rl=180\" width=\"300\" height=\"250\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Pope Francis has called for urgent action to stop climate change, saying care of the environment should be added to the traditional works of mercy such as feeding the hungry and sheltering the homeless. In a message released Thursday (Sept. 1) to mark the Catholic Church\u2019s World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":8606,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"spay_email":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false},"categories":[11],"tags":[114,45,28],"class_list":["post-11308","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-environment","tag-catholic-church","tag-climate-change","tag-pope-francis"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/pope.jpg","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4oswh-2Wo","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11308","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11308"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11308\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11309,"href":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11308\/revisions\/11309"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/8606"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11308"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11308"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11308"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}