The first serious comment has started to arrive – so serious that I can’t actually discern the personal views of some of the journalist on climate (how refreshing!!). As they seem to come from a Reuters source, it’s likely to get a lot of coverage. So although it’s only the first comments, it’s important and the outlook does not look good. The story of a “split” in the church. This is not going to be welcome to the Papacy! (splits are a sensitive subject for an organisation still reeling from its split with the orthodox and protestants):
Catholics Divided Over Global Warming
Pope Francis’ stern climate encyclical faces deep political divides
Ahead of pope’s climate message, U.S. Catholics split on cause of global warming
Obviously these theme of “split” might be a copy and paste from a press release from a group opposing the proclamation, but the same theme of split is also present In another article “Will Pope’s Much-Anticipated Encyclical Be A Clarion Call On Climate Change?” and this doesn’t seem to stem from this poll at all:
Statements like these are generating controversy in some quarters. For example, Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum — who is Catholic — believes the pope should focus on problems that Santorum says are more pressing than climate change.
“The church has gotten it wrong a few times on science, and I think that we probably are better off leaving science to the scientists, and focusing on what we’re really good at, which is theology and morality,” Santorum said.
So, this early theme of “split in the church” seems to have reported spontaneously from two different sources and as such could very well be the main response in the serious press.
If one considers that the unauthorised release & publication of the proclamation in Italy might indicate some divisions within the Vatican itself then together with these early stories on “Catholic split”, it seems that far from climate coming under the microscope, the main story may turn around and become how this proclamation has increased divisions within the catholic church.
This whole story is beginning to look far more interesting than I ever imagined!
You really have to wonder what the Pope’s motivation was. Can it be that he did not see this division coming? Why would a Pope make statements that would divide his flock? I don’t get it.
Is it possible there is some higher power that could influence the Pope on this issue like the Bilderberg Group or the Club of Rome? Hmmmm.
I must admit I was entirely focussed on the effect on the climate debate and I really had not considered how this would impact the Catholic church.
Interestingly the climate debate is so well worn in its course that the pope is just another voice and it seems he is not going to change any views. However, by the sound of it, the same cannot be said for the “split” in the Catholic church.
How strange that the Pope missed seeing that global warming alarm is a matter of faith, not science, and so those who follow Catholicism can well be skeptical of AGW, since sources of believing are not the same (Biblical revelation vs. scientific revelation).
For a few years, about a decade ago, I was mildly obsessed with researching historical roots of current clandestine political power.
For what it’s worth [it was difficult to sift the truth from fanciful thinking], I recall the Jesuit movement [a surprisingly powerful entity] being behind an intended rise of global power of the Catholic Church [and possibly to give it a new title].
One of the aims was to evolve the philosophy/religion to embrace Nature worship. And environmentalism was to be the means to achieve that.