One of the tenets of the Roman Catholic Church is that the pope is infallible– i.e., that he cannot make mistakes on matters of the faith.
This week, there was some news regarding Pope Francis that is bound to raise questions among Catholics. He signed an “interfaith statement” asserting that fossil fuels must be phased out because we are in the midst of a “climate crisis”. The statement further maintains that ecosystems have an “intrinsic right” to exist, thrive and rejuvenate.
Again, he signs this statement as a faith leader. The unstated presumption is that he possesses certain wisdom and knowledge on matters related to the Catholic faith, and that qualifies him to sign this statement.
It turns out my Sunday School has begun studying the book of Genesis. And there are a couple of passages in the very first chapter that inform this issue:
26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth”…
28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” (NKJV)
So here we have the very first book in the Bible stating TWICE that God gave man dominion over creation. But the worldview of the climate change cultists is precisely the opposite– that creation has dominion over man.
While it is warranted to protect creation so that it can continue to provide sufficiently for man, the question is how we do that. That is a technical, scientific question that relies upon good science.
Pope Francis has inverted the traditional Christian understanding of man’s relation to the world God created. He throws his lot with the climate change fanatics who rely upon bad science.
How much does man contribute to climate change? Will reversing man’s contribution make any difference? Is climate change really causing the cataclysmic, severe impacts that are being floated? The true answers to these questions are very different than what Pope Francis seems to be asserting.
But when the pope chooses the wrong side in this debate, he weakens his standing among the faithful and proves the Pope is not infallible. He is utterly unqualified to understand and investigate the scientific and technical issues that would enable him to make judgments on these matters. And after all, he does not have to look beyond the very first book in the Bible to find the true answer regarding how he ought to think about this question. It is right there– staring him in the face.
Vivek Ramaswamy– a Hindu– understands this question better than the pope. This is worrisome, because he is correct to state this extreme environmentalism is a new religion to which the pope apparently subscribes:
First of all, the “doctrine” of papal infallibility lacks a biblical or scriptural origin. The closest we can get to it is when Christ handed over the keys to the kingdom to Peter and told him “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” (Matt 16:19)
The doctrine of papal infallibility was derived from this by 19th century popes who had difficulty getting assent from their cardinals and bishops. They resorted to packing the court with their guys in order to get the OK for this doctrine that initially was intended to protect the reign of the pope as temporal leader when the Papal States were under siege. Vatican Two in the early 1960s clarified this to mean it pertains very narrowly to matters of faith and morals and nothing else. Surely the concept of protecting the environment might be a good idea from several points of view but if the pope gives his support for the idea, it has no more authority than that of any other contemporary leader.
Francis has shown that he likes getting into politics as much as he can and I don’t think anyone should consider his ideas about climate change or the environment to be special in any way. Indeed, as you suggest, TC, Genesis tells us that the Lord gave mankind the planet Earth and dominion over all that’s in it and I would expect that included the fossil fuels created by God for this purpose.
Absolutely right, Fred.
I should add that the Catholic Church– with Pope Francis’ leadership– is not the only religious entity that signed onto this interfaith agreement or that has endorsed the climate change agenda. Among the others- the World Council of Churches (representing mostly liberal mainline Protestantism), the New York Board of Rabbi’s and even– to some extent– the National Association of Evangelicals.
Others? The Muslim Council of Elders and King Charles who heads the Church of England. The Buddhists and Hindu have dabbled in this also.
https://www.theepochtimes.com/article/religious-leaders-join-un-wef-to-push-the-global-climate-agenda-5539778