Pope Francis urges Christians to back Agenda 2030

TruNews.com ^ | 1 Sep 2016 | Edward Szall

[amorphous]

Pope Francis has published a papal document urging Christians to adopt climate change and environmental propaganda as a core part of their faith. •Pope: "God gave us a bountiful garden, but we have turned it into a polluted wasteland of debris, desolation and filth." •Document released to coincide with the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation. •Pope document mirrors Paris Accord on Agenda 2030 reform and false World Meteorological Organization (WMO) data. •Pope on Paris Accord: "It is up to citizens to insist that this happen, and indeed to advocate for even more ambitious goals." •Bishop Brian Farrell, head of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity: "It is obviously a rare thing to add to the acts of mercy, but things change. This shows the movement of the church through time." •"We need new calls for responsibility."

(ROME, ITALY) Pope Francis called on Thursday for concerted action against environmental degradation and climate change, renewing a fierce attack on consumerism and financial greed which, he said, were threatening the planet.

A year after publishing the first papal document dedicated to the environment, the pope urged Christians to make the defense of nature a core part of their faith, adding it to the seven "works of mercy" they are meant to perform.

"God gave us a bountiful garden, but we have turned it into a polluted wasteland of debris, desolation and filth," Francis said in a document released to coincide with the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation.

GREEN POPE

Born in Argentina, Francis is the first pope from a developing nation and has placed environmental causes at the heart of his papacy, denouncing what he sees as a throwaway consumer culture and rampant, market-driven economies.

"Economics and politics, society and culture cannot be dominated by thinking only of the short term and immediate financial or electoral gains," Francis said, suggesting more ambitious action might be needed to curb climate change.

World leaders agreed in Paris last December to commit to limiting greenhouse-gas emissions in an effort to stabilize rising temperatures, while the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said in July the earth was warming faster than expected and on track for its hottest year ever.

Francis welcomed the Paris accord, but urged voters everywhere to make sure their governments did not backtrack.

"It is up to citizens to insist that this happen, and indeed to advocate for even more ambitious goals," he said.

He asked the world's one billion Roman Catholic to embrace a green agenda, saying defense of the environment should be added to the works of mercy, which provide believers with guiding principles and duties that they are meant to follow.

These include taking care of the hungry and sick, and teaching the ignorant. Six were spelled out in the New Testament; the seventh -- burying the dead -- was added in the Middle Ages.

"May the works of mercy also include care for our common home," Francis said, adding that simple, daily gestures which broke with "the logic of violence, exploitation and selfishness" would make a difference.

Even recycling rubbish, switching off lights and using a car pool or public transport would help, he said. "We must not think that these efforts are too small to improve our world."

Bishop Brian Farrell, head of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, said the pope's words did not represent new Church rules, but thought his suggestions would be assimilated by congregations around the world.

"It is obviously a rare thing to add to the acts of mercy, but things change. This shows the movement of the church through time. We need new calls for responsibility," he told Reuters.

[Lou L]

Does this Pope not realize that from a practical standpoint, we absolutely need consumerism to some degree because without it, billions in profits, as well as millions of jobs will be lost.

Let's face it...we could do with far less as a society. We don't need all the conveniences of the modern world, the cars, the two-story houses, TVs, computers, smartphones...we could do with much less.

But much less would mean that those jobs and industries might go away. And we'd have a great deal more people to feed, clothe and house. The poor would be truly poor, because there wouldn't be nearly as much disposable income with which to care for them.

[utahagen]

We Catholics are not supposed to talk about what we say in confession. However, this is obviously anonymous, and I am going to tread carefully, so I am posting this in the hopes it will lift the spirits of other Catholics whose faith has been shaken by this detestable Pope.

A few months ago, I went to confession, and confessed (among other sins) that I detest Pope Francis and believe (sincerely) that he is either a lunatic or an evil man who is deliberately leading the Catholic Church astray. I confessed that I find it nearly impossible to pray for Pope Francis as a human being because I dislike him so intensely. I expected the priest to upbraid me for being arrogant and incorrect in my assessment of Pope Francis. Well, the priest obviously said that I am compelled to pray for Pope Francis and that I am not allowed to foster hatred towards him, either in my own heart or among other people. He also reminded me that we never know the full picture when it comes to anything going on in the world. However, I got the distinct impression from the priest — who, I assure you, was not letting me off easy regarding any of my sins, including those related to my feelings about Pope Francis — that he did not think I was crazy regarding the Pope. In fact, the priest told me that there are times when the Church needs her friends more than other times, and sometimes that is on account of its own leaders.

So, fellow Catholic freepers, don't lose heart: you are not alone when it comes to how you feel about Pope Francis. A friend of mine learned a bromide from AA: “Hit him with a prayer, not a chair.” I used to think that was dopey, but as I type this, I am resolving to say and Hail Mary for Pope Francis every time I read something about him that irritates me. (Oy vai, am I going to be saying many Aves)