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Cabrera, Christian C. L-140525

Laudato Si

Reading Pope Francis ecoogica! the"ed enc!cica is an e!e-opener - not in the sense that it

gi#es its reader an a$areness o% the probe"s that surround the ecoogica %ra"e$or& o% the panet,

because, in truth, e#er!one is a$are o% these issues as these probe"s surround the i%est!es o% our

generation '%ro" businesses that re#o#e around the proposition o% a (better i#ing)* o% isoation to

hu"ane! su%%ering su%%ered b! the e%%ects o% goba $ar"ing and other natura and ecoogica conditions

that are ad#erse to the idea o% a (co"%ortabe i#ing*+, but, rather, an e!e-opener in the sense that it raises

these ad#erse conditions o% the arth to a position $here it can no onger be batted an e!e upon, that the

pre#aence o% these ecoogica issues $i cause no ess than the etinction o% "an as $e &no$ it) and b!

the %act that $e as hu"ans are the pri"ar! cause o% these #ie destruction o% our o$n ecos!ste", uness

$e change our o$n i%est!es, $e aso $i be the pri"ar! #icti"s o% the degradation o% the en#iron"ent.

Laudato Si,or Praise e to /ou. tite %itting to con#e! the "essage that $e as hu"ans ha#e

been bessed b! od $ith the $onder%u en#iron"ent that $e i#e in. so, the "essage, together $ith a

decaration o% our bessedness, con#e!s the responsibiit! that $e ha#e, together $ith the bessing o%

i#ing in this ecoogica %ra"e$or&, a dut! to ta&e care o% our co""on ho"e and not 3ust spea&ing o% us

as hu"ans in this generation, but o% a hu"anit! present and %uture as the!, inheriting the $ord %ro" our

hands, ha#e the sa"e bessedness o% us in the present. he Pope rea!s the %act that it is not 3ust our

generation that is bessed and shoud be bessed, but aso the %uture generations $ho are in danger o%

inheriting a $asteand o% our generation.

Praise be to /ou, "! Lord. he tite carries $ith it another connotation) that it is od %ro" $ho"

$e recei#e a these bessings. nd b! the %act that it is od $ho is the source, it is but natura to assu"e

that it is to od that $e a beong. hat $e as hu"ans are creatures o% od as borne o% is unending o#e

%or us that $e continua! recei#e the goodness that surround us. he ast state"ent "a&es us $onder. 6% it

is od $ho is the source o% the goodness o% the en#iron"ent, that it is to i" that $e o$e our #er!

eistence and our #iabiit! %or to"orro$, then $ho then is the source o% a the things that "a&es us

su%%er7

he Pope %urthers this 8uestion in the %irst chapter as he pro#ides us the gripping issues that

surround our (Co""on o"e.* First o% $hich is ci"ate change, the potentia! "ost detri"enta issue

regarding the degradation o% our habitat and as one that concerns a, not 3ust our o$n specie but o% a

i#ing organis"s, threatening $ith serious i"pications regarding the %uture o% hu"anit!. ut the Pope

tes us another e!e-opener in his enc!cica that in ight o% ci"ate change and its ad#erse e%%ects on

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hu"an i%e, it branches to$ards another co"peing issue that is po#ert!. he Pope, as he spea&s o% goba

ine8uait!, tes us9

(6n %act, the deterioration o% the en#iron"ent and o% societ! a%%ects the "ost #unerabe peope on

the panet9 (oth e#er!da! eperience and scienti%ic research sho$ that the gra#est e%%ects o% a

attac&s on the en#iron"ent are su%%ered b! the poorest*.*

Se#era issues re#o#ing the probe" o% ci"ate change ha#e a"pi%ied e%%ects in the case o% our

poor brothers. he issue on $ater, oss o% biodi#ersit!, and the decine in the 8uait! o% hu"an i%e and the

brea&do$n o% societ! are a"ong the issues that, athough su%%ered b! a, are su%%ered the "ost b! the

poorest. 6t is heart-brea&ing $hat the Pope sa!s about the issue on po#ert! and ho$ this societa, poitica,

and socioogica su%%ering is %urther aggra#ated b! the probe"s o% our coog!, a su%%ering "ost

attributabe to the indi%%erence o% "an not 3ust as against the en#iron"ent but aso as against our poor

brothers and sisters) and nothing "ore apt coud ha#e been said considering the situation in our o$ncountr! $here the strugges o% our poor brothers in the su"s are co#ered b! the dai! pursuit o% the atest

scoop o% #arious : sho$s and ceebrities, $here the issue on $ater shortage in the su"s are eased b!

the construction o% ne$ "as.

rue, these pursuits o% itte grati%ication ha#e do$npa!ed the "ore #ita issues in the societ!)

and it is attributabe to $hich that $e, in s"a $ords, no onger care %or the "uch arger issues so ong as

our dai! strugges are ae#iated b! the itte happiness $e get. his attitude has dire conse8uences %or

our countr! toda!. ;e see ho$ peope see" to care about the poitica, econo"ic, and socia issues but

dont $ant to get encu"bered in their o$n i#es $hen it co"es to addressing and doing so"ething about

the issues.

he enc!cica not on! "entions these probe"s but aso cas %or a diaogue a"ongst a peope

to address the "ore i"portant issue at hand9 caring %or our co""on ho"e. so, it is caed that $e, as

hu"ans re%ect on our position here as tenants on this panet) that $e shoud recogni