Status Updates From Laudato si'. Enciclica sull...

People no longer seem to believe in a happy future. The accumulation of novelties exalts our superficiality. If architecture reflects the spirit of an age, our megastructures and drab apartment blocks express the spirit of globalized technology, where a constant flood of new products coexists with a tedious monotony. Let us refuse to resign ourselves to this - to reject new forms of escapism to endure the emptiness.

What does “thou shall not kill” means when 20% of the world’s population consumes resources at a rate that robs the poor nations and future generations of what they need to survive? It is not in accord with God’s plan that these gifts be used in such a way that only benefits the few.

There is an urgent need for radical change in the conduct of humanity. The most extraordinary technological advances, the most astounding economic growth, unless accompanied by authentic social and moral progress, will definitively turn against man….Every effort to protect and improve our world entails profound changes in lifestyle, production and consumption, and the structures of power that govern us.

If we approach nature and the environment without openness to awe and wonder, we no longer speak the language of fraternity and beauty in our relationship with the world. Our attitude will be that of masters, consumers, ruthless exploiters, unable to set limits on our immediate needs….To commit a crime against nature is a sin against ourselves and a sin against God.