The Independent News Source
NCR on Kindle - NCR classifieds - YouTube - Twitter - Facebook - Email Alerts - RSS
Printer-friendly version
PDF versionNew encyclical echoes a Green vision
Jul. 22, 2009
Workers prepare plastic bags for planting Jetropha seeds in August 2008 in Nairobi, Kenya. The plant is being reintroduced in Kenya to supply fuel for lamps with the aim of cutting fuel costs. The initiative is targeting rural households that mainly rely on kerosene for lighting. (Panapress/Khamis Ramadhan)
ANALYSIS
On a first reading of Pope Benedict XVI’s new encyclical, Caritas in Veritate, I’m struck by the consonance in many of the pope’s statements with the key values of the worldwide Green movement. The Greens have consistently espoused and based their policies upon what they call the Ten Key Values (or a summary Four Pillars in the case of some of the world’s Green parties). These include such concepts as “community-based economics,” “grass-roots democracy,” “decentralization,” “future focus,” “ecological awareness,” “social justice” and more.
These Green concepts, some originating in the writings of economic thinker E.F. Schumacher, constitute a blueprint for shaping a world economy based on real human values.
Similarly, Benedict’s encyclical urges Christian humanism as the basis for a world order.
The subject of economic development in the world, the encyclical states, is closely related to duties arising from our relationship to the natural environment. “The environment is God’s gift to everyone, and in our use of it we have a responsibility towards the poor, towards future generations and towards humanity as a whole.”
This is ecological awareness of the first order.
Further along the encyclical states: “We must recognize our grave duty to hand the earth on to future generations in such a condition that they too can worthily inhabit it and continue to cultivate it.” Future focus.
In a number of places the encyclical calls for contemporary society to seriously review its lifestyle, “which in many parts of the world is prone to hedonism and consumerism, regardless of their harmful consequences.”
The impetus to simpler and more sustainable ways of living is decidedly a part of the Green movement, as distinguished from its political dimension.
In the encyclical’s discussion of the direction development in poorer nations should take, there is a clear emphasis on community-based economics. “The most valuable resources in countries receiving development aid are human resources: Herein lies the real capital that needs to accumulate in order to guarantee a truly autonomous future for the poorest countries.”
The encyclical includes a discussion of world food security, a topic dear to the hearts of Greens, whose numbers include most of the world’s “alternative” economic thinkers.
The encyclical says: “What is missing ... is a network of economic institutions capable of guaranteeing regular access to sufficient food and water for nutritional needs, and also capable of addressing the primary needs and necessities ensuing from genuine food crises, whether due to natural causes or political irresponsibility, nationally and internationally. The problem of food insecurity needs to be addressed within a long-term perspective, eliminating the structural causes that give rise to it and promoting the agricultural development of poorer countries.”
Preview NCR's Family Life Issue
Watch this video from NCR Editor Dennis Coday for highlights from our annual Family Life special section.
You won't find these articles on our website. Subscribe now to receive all the content from each biweekly issue.
This emphasis on a long-term perspective in economic development for food security is consonant with the recent comprehensive plan developed by 29 food aid agencies, including Catholic Relief Services. That plan calls for vigorous agricultural development at the local level and the top-down networking of economic institutions (NCR, April 17).
Interestingly, the encyclical links the solutions to world food insecurity to the economic recovery of the world’s financial institutions.
“It is therefore necessary to cultivate a public conscience that considers food and access to water as universal rights of all human beings, without distinction or discrimination. It is important, moreover, to emphasize that solidarity with poor countries in the process of development can point towards a solution of the current global crisis, as politicians and directors of international institutions have begun to sense in recent times.”
It’s interesting, too, that whereas Green values are based on a “deep ecology” point of view, recognizing that we humans are, as the late Fr. Thomas Berry taught, derivative of the natural world, not specially created and apart from it, the encyclical’s values are rooted in a more human-centered Christian view.
These are widely different philosophical or theological starting points. But the Greens’ vision and Benedict’s get to many of the same places.
Rich Heffern is an NCR staff writer. His e-mail address is rheffern@ncronline.org.
God Bless the work of Pope
God Bless the work of Pope Benedict XVI
I'm glad to see that God was
I'm glad to see that God was at least mentioned, even if just in passing, in this article. I am saddened that Christ is not mentioned at all, beyond two references to "Christian humanism", a school of thought that is not original to Pope Benedict, but that dates back to the days of St. Thomas More, one of the first to write about Christian Humanism in detail in his book "Utopia".
While Mr. Heffern goes to great lengths here to tie Pope Benedict and the Green parties together, he fails to point out the existential difference between the two. The Greens are interested in progressive ideas, some of which are diametrically opposed to the Church: same-sex marriage, "reproductive freedom" (ie, universal access to birth control and abortion on demand) to name just a couple. According to the Greens own website (www.greeparty.org) the platform that they propose is socialism, perhaps even communism at its logical conclusion, in another form. The Catechism of the Catholic Church, and historic Catholic teaching, both affirm the right of the individual to the just profits of his labor, and the right of an individual to own property.
Further, the Greens platform represents dramatic reductions in the rights of the individual and includes such socialist ideas as a 100% tax on income over 10 times the minimum wage (effectively denying/robbing individuals of the just profits of their labor and ending any incentive toward creativity or entrepreneurship); an advertising tax on media advertisements (limited or reducing freedom of speech); a "wealth tax" (a "steeply progressive tax on net wealth over $2.5 million" -- again, the theft of an individual's property and the resulting loss of any incentive toward entrepreneurship, hard work, dedication, savings, etc.); an inheritance tax on property over $1 million (thereby resulting in many more bankruptcies, government possession of farms {since many farmers inherit land worth $1 million or more} and an unjust and unfair double taxation).
Just as disturbing and just as unconstitutional are their ideas about business. The Greens, according to their own platform, support the democratic conversion of big businesses ("andatory break-up and conversion to democratic worker, consumer, and/or public ownership on a human scale of the largest 500 US industrial and commercial corporations that account for about 10% of employees, 50% of profits, 70% of sales, and 90% of manufacturing assets"); and democratic conversion of small and medium businesses ("Financial and technical incentives and assistance for voluntary conversion of the 22.5 million small and medium non-farm businesses in the US to worker or consumer cooperatives or democratic public enterprises. Mandate that workers and the community have the first option to buy on preferential terms in cases of plant closures, the sale or merger of significant assets, or the revocation of corporate charters"). This means that the government would take away the right of business owners to own and operate their own businesses. Further, the "voluntary" is a misnomer, since any time the government creates a "voluntary" program, it invariably becomes "mandatory" shortly thereafter.
I could go on and on with this exposition, but I believe that these short reflections may open many people's eyes to the dangers of the Green movement. In the end, Pope Benedict XVI believes in helping to preserve the environment because it is the creation of God and reflects the Creator. He believes in working to protect it because, in so doing, we help to preserve the means of continued life and productivity. He understands that we have an obligation to hand to our children and our children's children an environment that is at least as good as we received, if not better.
But, beyond this, Benedict understands that there is a deeper environment that is even more important. That environment is the human heart, the human soul. We have a deeper obligation to clean and preserve, protect and restore our interior environment from the pollution of sin and evil. This is a reality that the Greens do not understand. In their rush, their hope, to create a socialist "utopia", they look to government to solve problems and to provide the salvation of the human race. But, without Christ, this perfect world is not possible. Without a common respect for the dignity of the individual, a dignity which stems from his being as a child of God and a dignity that is protected in the rights he exercises, including rights to "life, liberty and the pursuit of property" (thanks, John Locke!), the Greens will quickly find that this utopia they hope to create is just that, a utopia. Utopia, for those who do not know, means "no place".
The embrace of the "green"
The embrace of the "green" movement and ideals by members of the church is absolutely terrifying! Our faith has always taught us to be good stewards and show gratitude for the gifts from God. The entire green movement is a hoax created to weaking the United States of America politically and economically. The capitalist system has allowed the citizens of the USA to wisely use and develope our resources. No other country in the world has done more to protect the planet. Who has developed the technology to use resources in such a manner. Look at the way dead rivers were brought back to life once we understood who and what was the problem, the quality of air and the productivity of our farm land. We have a group of absolutely evil people (check the background of the leaders of the "green" leadership)who for their personal gain and fame want to continue this hoax. Global warming simply is not happening and CO2 is plant food not a pollutant. China, India, Europe, Arabia, and Africa all rely on a strong USA. If we let the greenies and the UN destroy the USA who will be their with the means to clean up the mess they are making. Some people say the greatest trick the devil evered pulled was to convince people that he didn't exist. I wonder if his greatest trick was to convince people that he was green.
Baba is great.
Baba is great.
Wow! Thanks for the great
Wow! Thanks for the great informative post.
I think the above article is informative for all concerned people. For me the Informations are really really useful.
I've Bookmarked this page for future reference.
Thank you
Robin Jokes
Post new comment