While there remain many issues, about which I disagree with Pope Francis, I do consider him an authentic Christian. As such, he is evoking guttural responses from rabid Republicans. They are in a quandary, because that are used to Popes, like the recent Pope Pit Bull, that goose step with their pseudo-Christianity on every issue. Their absurd responses to Francis’ Encyclical on Climate Change is most entertaining.
The papal encyclical on climate change — highly anticipated and applauded by people who accept and care about the fact that human-caused climate change is threatening our existence — came out Thursday morning. Not everyone was pleased.
In the lead-up to the release of the document (which was leaked earlier this week), climate deniers and conspiracy theorists have railed against Pope Francis, theologian and former chemist, for wading into the “political” issue of taking care of the environment.
The Usual Suspects
The Heartland Institute got out ahead of the curve, publishing a piece titled Is The Global Left Counting on Pope to Split the Catholic Church Over Global Warming? back in May. Take a moment to ponder this:
Has the Left finally come out with a method that will destroy the power of the Church to cause further damage to an already weakened Church, having been busy for years preparing for this moment? Not to be forgotten is the unholy alliance of international communism with the jihadi Islamists.
According to the article, the Pope’s stance on global warming is part of a left-wing communist conspiracy to… do something. You can read the whole thing here.
Inserted from <Think Progress>
Click through for an appalling collection of Republican statements from wing-nuts and tinfoil hat racks galore! Here’s an example.
Barf Bag Alert!!
Wacka-doodle-doo!!!
12 Responses to “Response to Papal Encyclical”
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Now they are going after the one person that is TOTALLY RELIGIOUS! How stupid ARE the religious right?
Pope Francis: "Bold Cultural Revolution" Needed to Save Planet from Climate Change & Consumerism
Naomi Klein interview on Democracy Now + Nathan Schneider, a columnist with the Catholic weekly,
AMY GOODMAN: We are joined now by two guests. Naomi Klein is the author of This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. the Climate. She’s been invited to speak at the Vatican, where she will speak at the "People and Planet First: The Imperative to Change Course" conference. She’s joining us by Democracy Now! video stream from Canada. And here in New York, Nathan Schneider joins us, columnist at America magazine, a national Catholic weekly magazine published by the Jesuits.
VIDEO LINK:
http://www.democracynow.org/2015/6/18/pope_francis_bold_cultural_revolution_needed
"Unfortunately, some right-wing Christians are already trying to undermine the pope. Even Catholic politicians like Rick Santorum and Jeb Bush are saying that Francis should "leave science to the scientists" and "I don't get my economic policy from my pope." Both have no idea what they are talking about. lol.
Pope Francis has and earned a degree in chemistry in addition to a degree in Philosophy and doctorate in theology.
"Pope Francis chided world leaders for failing to "reach truly meaningful and effective global agreements on the environment." He also called for "highly polluting fossil fuels" to be "progressively replaced without delay." And while improving and protecting the environment will be difficult, the situation is not hopeless, according to Pope Francis. "Human beings, while capable of the worst, are also capable of rising above themselves, choosing again what is good, and making a new start."
Thanks for this Jim – I didn't know that Pope Francis has degrees in Chemistry and Philosophy as well as a PhD in Religion – even if he didn't have these qualifications I know that he is quite correct (and I don't have those qualifications either). Do those dimwits on the Right realise that they are telling people that they are too stupid to vote on anything – because they don't have advanced degrees in anything!
The information, education, was gleaned from a bio of Pope Francis, text and video.
http://www.biography.com/people/pope-francis-21152349#pope-as-spiritual-and-world-leader
Thanks Jim.
Carrie (Care2), I came to the Catholic Church under John XXIII. Look how long I have had to wait for another Pope to act like a real Christian.
No criticism of the Pope from the ChINO right would surprise me, or be too despicable for me to believe.
I love Pope John XXIII too!
I am not Catholic, but I do like this Pope. I am sure that I would never agree with him on everything, but so far he sounds like a caring, educated individual who is trying to help the rest of us.
I agree with the Pope when he says global warming and climate change are moral issues. When the oceans rise as a result of the human factor of global warming and climate change, and when they then kill people or endanger them, I call that a moral issue. The only reason it is a political issue is because people who disagree have made it one.
In my church (protestant), our creed has a line that goes "to live with respect to Creation". That is a moral issue. Another moral and political issue is the rapaciousness of the deniers, the Republicanus/Teabaggerum. The Republicanus/Teabaggerum are such a vacuous bunch!
I have skimmed through a (very, very long) digest of the encyclical (180 pages I believe) – and I agree with it – God bless and protect Pope Francis, may he have decades more health and decades more successful social activism to get the monolith that is the Catholic Church back to its origins – the words, principles and actions of Jesus. Jesus came to bring hope to the poor, the outcast, the rejected, the ill, those in prison – not to the rich plutocrats.
Jesus said we should treat everyone as our brother (Love thy neighbour as thyself) – and we can't if we pollute their air, water and food, if we take from the poor to make our lives richer and happier and ignore the suffering we cause. The Right Wing of all religions (and atheists too) want to ignore the damage they do and blame it on those they victimise. It is about time that the Catholic Church and ALL churches and religious groups stood up for their founding principles and stood up to be counted – without their lead people will still continue on their myopic self-centred way and end up destroying the earth. I sincerely hope that all churches (including my own) join Pope Francis in this matter – God bless and protect him forever!
If Republicans had their way, they would make Pat Robertson Pope.
Thanks all!
With the last two especially, they almost did.