Volume 40 Issue 4, 5 & 6 | Posted: July 27, 2025
It was 2015 and it had been 50 years since I had abandoned my Catholic faith. Then in May of that year, Pope Francis released Laudato Si’, which showed me the moral weight of our ecological crisis and environmental degradation.
We had been hearing lots of talk, from the activists, and heard from the International Panel on Climate Change, but the degradation was inexorably proceeding.
At the same time, consumption was rampant: shopping carts in wealthy countries were full. And every day we were in such a rush that even a coffee break was a luxury, replaced by going to “grab” a coffee. So I was thrilled that Pope Francis sent a message to 1.3 billion Catholics.
In the encyclical, Pope Francis suggested that the post-industrial period had been the most irresponsible in history because of its institutional greed. That planetary warming is a symptom of short-term economic gains. That there exists a throw-away culture that treats the poor, the disabled, the unborn, and the aged as waste. Such strong words.
In the years following, he refined and expanded on these ideas. He urged us to “forge bonds of fraternity, recognizing the dignity of each human being” and to work together for our common home. He criticized individualism, social and economic disparities, violent nationalism, xenophobia, and the use of technology that threatens humanity. In many ways he reaffirmed Vatican II.
He brought his message to peoples in 63 countries, including Cuba and Palestine. He met with Ahmed al-Tayyab, Grand Imam of al-Azhar in Abu Dhabi. He came to Canada and apologized to indigenous people.
On April 20th, 2025 as he was sitting in a wheelchair, hours before his death, we heard his final words as they were read out in Saint Peter’s square. His words were as clear and pointed as ever. Here are two excerpts.
“On this day, I would like all of us to hope anew and to revive our trust in others, including those who are different than ourselves, or who come from distant lands, bringing unfamiliar customs, ways of life and ideas! For all of us are children of God!”
“I express my closeness to the sufferings of Christians in Palestine and Israel, and to all the Israeli people and the Palestinian people.” He went on to ask for peace in many of the global trouble spots in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia.
Regardless of our faith, Francis has made it clear that we must be true to what our conscience demands of us. He challenged us to live with humility, responsibility, and love for others. Catholics and non-Catholics, we are all in this together.
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George Klima, Victoria, BC
