In advance of Pope Francis’ historic visit to the United States, a multidisciplinary panel of Holy Cross faculty shared their perspectives on his encyclical letter, “Laudato si’: On Care for Our Common Home,” released in May.
The panel, speaking before a crowded room of students, faculty and staff, featured Kelly Wolfe-Bellin, director of biology laboratories and lecturer in biology; Rev. Thomas Worcester, S.J., professor of history and papal expert; Matthew Eggemeier, associate professor of religious studies; Katherine Kiel, professor and chair of economics and accounting; and Daina Harvey, assistant professor of sociology and anthropology. Loren Cass, professor of political science and director of the Center for Interdisciplinary Studies, moderated the event.
In her remarks, Wolfe-Bellin highlighted the Pope’s urgent tone and repeated references to the “rapidification,” or acceleration, of changes affecting humanity and the planet. The Pope’s letter touches on environmental challenges ranging from solid waste disposal and greenhouse gases to freshwater depletion, shrinking biodiversity, and habitat loss.
Yet, the fact that these changes are not always apparent within a lifetime causes many people to feel complacent.
“In environmental science we have a term for this, this lack of recognition for a larger trend that occurs over a large timespan,” Wolfe-Bellin said. “We call it a shifting baseline. This is where each new generation lacks knowledge of the prior state of the environment, thus redefines what is natural and what seems normal.”
From a historical perspective, Fr. Worcester suggested that Pope Francis modeled his encyclical after Pope John XXIII, who released “Pacem in Terris,” or Peace on Earth, addressing nuclear non-proliferation after the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1963. Worcester recalled the real fear of global annihilation prevalent 50 years ago, and asks of Pope Francis’ message, “Is the urgency the same?”
Eggemeier looked to the Pope’s letter to find its cultural diagnosis. While Pope Benedict XVI battled a growing secularism and atheism in Western culture, Eggemeier said, Pope Francis is battling society’s devotion to a false idol.
“The contemporary idol that dominates our world is money, quite straightforward,” said Eggemeier.
Kiel said Pope Francis is more of an economist than one might think. She pointed to his concern for what economists call “negative externalities,” when the market doesn’t fully capture the true cost that goes into producing and consuming goods — a phenomenon economists consider a market failure. She noted a tension, though, between his call for polluters to pay and his opposition to economic solutions such as cap and trade.
Finally, Harvey explored how the Pope links human problems to environmental degradation. He cited Pope Francis, who said: “The human environment and the natural environment deteriorate together.”
“Clearly,” Harvey said, “he believes connectedness is essential for us to tackle climate change.”
The panel discussion was co-sponsored by Environmental Studies and the Rev. Michael C. McFarland, S.J. Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture. ">Watch it online or download the video free from iTunes U.
Video: Holy Cross Faculty Offer Multidisciplinary Analysis of Pope’s Encyclical on Environment
