Pope Francis is a bit like Naomi Klein in a cassock | Giles Fraser: Loose canon
by Giles Fraser from on (#BTE8)
Free-market capitalism makes no distinction between human beings' wants and needs. This is catastrophic for both the planet and our personal happiness alike
Pope Francis's eagerly awaited encyclical, Laudato Si', is misunderstood as just a theological echo of secular environmentalism, a churchy "count me in" with the fight against climate change. It is nothing less than a call to refigure our entire political mindset. No wonder Catholic Republicans like Jeb Bush are up in arms. It is a comprehensive counterblast against the root causes of an impending environmental catastrophe. And, as such, it means that the Roman Catholic church is now the foremost critic of capitalism. As the left fades in authority all over the world, the church has regained its voice.
Related: Pope's climate change encyclical tells rich nations: pay your debt to the poor
Continue reading...