Pope Francis the Environmentalist: Saviour of Planet Earth - our Common Home

By Mawutodzi Kodzo Abissath

Pope Francis and President Obama, fraternal twin brothers and Global
Apostles of Environment and Climate Change

A popular Ghanaian adage says: “If a baby crocodile rushes out from under the water to announce that his father and mother are at each other’s throat then you better believe him.”

On Thursday, June 18, 2015, Pope Francis I made history that could classify him as the first Environmentalist Pontiff of the Catholic Church. That was the day a 182-page document dubbed PAPAL ENCYCLICAL LAUDATO SI, written by the Pope was released unto the world. In that document, the Pope spoke as if he was seating down watching the Creator the day the Earth was created.

Ecology and climate change

Well, the Catholic Church does not force but still encourages its faithful to appreciate praying in the once vibrant Latin which is a ‘dead language.’ Thus, the phrase Laudato si, mi Signore simply means “Praise be to you my Lord.” But the object of this article is not about Latin interpretation but to underscore the import of the Pope’s epistle to the world. It is about ecology; it is about climate change; and it is about the environment. This explains why it will not be out of place to baptize this Pope as Environmental Angel and Saviour of Planet Earth. I hope the world will listen to him. Otherwise, it will be said:  “And the Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not comprehended it.” John1:5.

When I first read the Pope’s message on the BBC website, (http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-33182065 ) that day, my mind went to the Biblical Saint Paul who was fond of writing to his followers some 2000 years ago. Amazingly, hardly was the Pope’s thought-provoking message uploaded on the website when some anti-environmental apostles and climate change deniers started criticizing and castigating the Holy Father. Of course, even Jesus was not spared.

Science and Religion

Someone wrote that the Pope was not a scientist so he must leave the environment and climate change matters alone and focus on his religious doctrines.  Really?  This author does not want to engage in fruitless debate about science and religion. But he believes that the Pope has a moral right to comment on global environmental politics. By the way does one need to be a scientist to see that humans are the cause of environmental havoc globally?  Even in our local environmental politics and ecological economy here in Ghana, those who close their eyes can see that galamsey or illegal gold mining is devastating farmlands, destroying forests and polluting rivers by heart.   

Of course, the Pope is a human being and lives among other human beings. Even if he is not a scientist, his knowledge from animality, humanity and divinity cannot be underrated. Even the   knowledge of a neophyte catholic priest cannot be quantified in real terms. How much more of a Bishop, let alone a Pope. Like any world religious leader of good will, the point Pope Francis was making in his secular letter to his fellow human beings was just a caution. He was simply advising us “greedy mortals” to be prudent in the way we treat Planet Earth, which he refers to as “our Common Home.”  President Obama is another Apostle of environment and climate change I admire a great deal!

Sensitivity of the Pope

Philosophically, this is how the Pope put his risk-free thought across: “The earth, our common home is like a sister with whom we share our life and a beautiful mother who opens her arms to embrace us. We have forgotten that we ourselves are dust of the earth; our very bodies are made up of her elements; we breathe her air and we receive life and refreshment from her waters.” Based on these facts of life, the concerned man of God and Environmentalist Pope feels sad that man, out of greed and selfishness, has been mistreating and abusing this loving-kind-hearted mother called the EARTH.

Even I, common man, can sense that the consciousness of the Pope has been elevated to that degree of sensitivity   where he could feel the agony, the groans and the pain of Mother Earth as she threw her desperate arms towards the Creator, crying for rescue mission. Consequently, the enlightened soul invites all men and women of goodwill to listen to the lamentations of the miserable Mother Earth.   

 Pope Francis uses his Papal Encyclical Laudato Si, as a platform to humbly appeal to humanity, made up of individuals, families, local communities, national and the international community to fill not only the stomachs of present generation but to make some provision for those yet unborn as well. The Pope, with all humility, is appealing to the conscience of modern scientists, technologists, multilateral gold mining untouchables, galamsey super powers, international fishing trawlers, submarine wizards, chemical weapons strategists, atomic bomb architects, Green House Emission agricultural gurus,  as well as space craft manipulators who are contaminating the atmospheres,  to have mercy upon our Common Home –Planet Earth.

Earlier in March 2015, the United Nations World Water Development Report (WWDR) under an alarming banner headline, “Catastrophic Global Water Crisis Looming Large”, warned that by 2030 that is just in 15 years global water demand would increase by 55 percent resulting in catastrophic consequences. Ghana is already sweating under “Dumsor” for lack of water in Akosombo Dam. Won’t it be in the interest of mankind to pay heed to Pope Francis1?

The writer works with the Information Services Department (ISD), Accra

Email: abissath@gmail.com