The political left isn’t known for their fondness of Catholicism particularly over the issues of gay marriage, woman and the priesthood, birth control, and abortion. The scandal the church has faced regarding systemic child abuse had also exposed them to heavy ridicule. However, that may now be changing to a degree because the two camps seem to have found common ground in climate change.
Pope Francis is a big proponent of keeping the environment clean. He views conservation as a logical extension to the counsel God gave to Adam to subdue the earth and have dominion over it. Pope Francis famously uttered the phrase that if people destroy nature, so will nature destroy them.
This New Year will finish with a major climate change summit in Paris. Pope Francis is expected to issue a modern day epistle so to speak in the form of what is called an encyclical. It will be a document admonishing the 1.2 billion members of the world’s largest Christian church as to how to view and possible act in terms of climate change.
His holiness believes this is an important issue and one which has some gospel underpinning to it. It isn’t the first such novel approach the pontiff has taken. He recently stated that evolution may well be the means that God used to bring about the human race. Faith and an understanding of the origins of man do not have to oppose one another. One thing is certain and that is Pope Francis is a historic figure whose legacy may prove to be long-lasting.