It looks like Pope Francis is a “Green” Pope.
While the world’s largest Christian organization, the Catholic church, still has its heels dug in resisting many currently accepted ideas like women’s rights, contraception, and the like, the Pope is firmly coming out for the environment.
Coincidently in my last post, I said we need a charismatic spokesperson (or people) to get the public behind protecting the planet. So I was surprised and happy to see the Pope suddenly (to me at least) announcing an appeal to protect the environment that’s broadly addressed to “every person” who lives on Earth. Many non-Catholics respect Pope Francis, so his push to protect our environment will have traction outside of his flock, I hope.
Francis’s appeal is directed more to the first world where most of the causes of climate change originate. It’s hard to predict what effect Francis will have on the debate over climate change, especially in the U.S., where there’s strong resistance to climate change science.
In more rural Mexico were I live, I’m often surprised to see pictures of Pope John Paul still hanging in houses and businesses. Some Catholics are a little behind the times, but hopefully there’ll be some trickle down effect.
Francis and his organization are leapfrogging to the forefront of efforts to help the environment after decades of turning a blind eye to environmental degradation in the Christian West.
If you’re trying to lick honey off a thorn, it becomes more pleasant if you’re focusing on the honey rather than the thorn, I hope the Pope can sell it well.