Pope Francis: “The Cry of our Mistreated Planet is inseparable from the Cry of Suffering Humanity”

On December 1, 2022, Pope Francis sent a message to the participants in the VIII Conference of Dialogues on the Mediterranean, which was held from December 1 to 3, 2022. The Pope reiterated his usual message on the climate crisis, equating human suffering to that of the planet. This was a call to honor the earth and work towards redeeming the environment. Pope Francis stated:

• “Social themes cannot be detached from the many situations of geopolitical crisis and also from environmental issues themselves.” [1]

• “The interconnectedness of the issues demands that they are examined together, with a coordinated vision that is as wide-ranging as possible, as has become overwhelmingly apparent during the crisis of the pandemic, a further clear confirmation that no-one is saved alone.” [1]

• “We must all acquire an ever-greater awareness of the fact that the cry of our mistreated planet is inseparable from the cry of suffering humanity. In this regard, the words of Saint Paul in his Letter to the Romans, some two thousand years ago, resonate to this day, where he presents the common destiny of humanity and of creation, which – says the Apostle – nurtures the hope that it too will be freed from the bondage of corruption, to enter into the freedom of the glory of the children of God, for which all of creation groans and suffers the pangs of labor until now (cf. 8:21-22).” [1]

This is the same Vatican-led appeal for everyone to work together to combat climate change, which was motivated by Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si’. Just as Pope Francis asserts that you cannot separate the suffering of the planet from the suffering of humanity, you also cannot separate the contemporary, mainstream climate change movement from Pope Francis and his climate change encyclical, Laudato Si’. According to Laudato Si’, the cry of the earth is inextricably linked to the cry of the human race:

“Today, however, we have to realize that a true ecological approach always becomes a social approach; it must integrate questions of justice in debates on the environment, so as to hear both the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor” (Laudto Si’ #49).

“These situations have caused sister earth, along with all the abandoned of our world, to cry out, pleading that we take another course” (Laudato Si’ #53).

“When we fail to acknowledge as part of reality the worth of a poor person, a human embryo, a person with disabilities – to offer just a few examples – it becomes difficult to hear the cry of nature itself; everything is connected” (Laudato Si’ #117).

This notion that the human race and the earth are interconnected and have a “common destiny” is nothing more than the revival of ancient pantheistic beliefs. Part of pagan worship includes giving reverence to the earth. Pope Francis speaks about the “cry” of the earth as being the cry of our “sister,” who is a part of us. No, the earth is not our sister. The earth is an inanimate object. Our planet cannot be anyone’s sister because it is not a person. This effort to personify the earth is pure pagan idolatry. Tragically, the world—including the churches—is accepting this message. Environmentalism has taken the place of biblical truth.

Because of this, the church is preventing people from receiving salvation, which can only be attained by accepting the everlasting gospel of Revelation 14:6–12. May we always faithfully preach the true message given to us in the great gospel commission as we instruct people to turn to Christ (Matthew 28:19, 20) through a true biblical conversion, and to obey His commandments (John 14:15).

Sources

[1] https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2022/12/02/221202e.html