
This is one of the issues
that Pope Francis speaks about in Laudato
Sii and it only goes to reinforce the import of his encyclical. People in the developed world see people
less economically advantaged than we are as “tools” to be used for our
benefit. Medical experimentation is
particularly offensive but how many of the advances and even comforts we enjoy
come at cost to the poor of Africa, Asia, the Pacific Rim, and Latin America? Whether it is in the trade of blood diamonds,
the use of sweatshops to produce consumer goods, drugs (legal and illegal),
cheap sources of food for our tables, the fur of endangered animals—how much of
our lifestyle depends on the exploitation of others.
I am not quite through with
the Encyclical yet—I have about twenty more pages to go, but what I have read
has made me stop and think, or actually stop and look into my own
conscience. It is a profoundly Christian
document that draws on the writings of previous popes, Councils, Fathers and
Doctors of the Church, our rich mystical tradition, as well as on science and
common sense. Laudato Sii provides a profound challenge to so many of the things
we take for granted and offers us the vision of what our world could be if we
stood in solidarity with both the world’s peoples and the world itself.
No comments:
Post a Comment