Appalachia and Laudato Si’: Developing the Connection between the Poor and the Environment

Horizons ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 46 (2) ◽  
pp. 246-269
Author(s):  
Jason King
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Degradation ◽  
Environmental Regulations ◽  
Pope Francis ◽  
The Poor ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Poor Communities

In Laudato Si’, Pope Francis links environmental degradation and the poor, writing that “the poor and the earth are crying out.” Appalachia complicates the pope's claim, however, because it is an area that suffers from environmental degradation but also supports the Trump administration's dismantling of environmental regulations. Thus, Pope Francis’ understanding of the poor in Laudato Si’ needs development in three ways. First, he needs to explore how environmental degradation causes spiritual harm in addition to physical harm. Second, the pope needs to note that spiritual harm often causes the poor to cry out in ways that are sexist, racist, homophobic, and hostile toward the environment. Finally, the pope should note that the voices to be heeded in responding to environmental degradation are those voices marginalized within poor communities because they are most likely to address the spiritual harm and avoid scapegoating others.

scholarly journals Laudato Si’, Pope Francis’ Call to Ecological Conversion: Responding to the Cry of the Earth and the Poor—Towards an Integral Ecology

AJIL Unbound ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 109 ◽  
pp. 136-141 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ileana M. Porras
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Environmental Degradation ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Religious Tradition ◽  
Careful Analysis ◽  
Environmental Crisis ◽  
Pope Francis ◽  
The Poor ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Integral Ecology

The recent Encyclical by Pope Francis, Laudato Si’, On Care for our Common Home, is a remarkable document, both original and continuous within the tradition of Catholic social doctrine. Emerging from and grounded in a very specific religious tradition and constrained by the peculiar encyclical literary form, the document nonetheless seeks to open a dialogue with “every person living on this planet,” about care for our common home. Using the urgency of addressing global climate change as its point of departure, the Encyclical does a superb job summarizing the scope of the present environmental crisis and the disproportionate harms suffered by vulnerable populations of the poor and excluded. It also provides a careful analysis of the root causes of environmental degradation, mapping out the complex linkages and tensions between globalization, economic growth, liberalized trade, unsustainable patterns of consumption and production, environmental degradation, involuntary migration, immiseration and growing inequality. In this respect, the Encyclical, may well come to serve as a useful position paper for the upcoming Paris climate change negotiations or as a background text for a course on climate change or sustainable development. Yet, properly understood, this is not its true purpose. Rather, in its deepest sense, the Encyclical is an appeal to all of humanity to listen to “the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor,” to reject the “throwaway” culture of consumerism, and to embrace a culture of care and a commitment to pursue integral ecology. It is, in other words, a call to ecological conversion: a call addressed not only to individuals but also to individuals-in-community.

Allowing the Poor to Share the Earth

2011 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 335-352 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Pogge
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Degradation ◽  
Natural Resource ◽  
Global Fund ◽  
Resource Depletion ◽  
The Poor ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Urgent Task ◽  
Institutional Mechanism ◽  
Natural Resource Depletion

AbstractTwo of the greatest challenges facing humanity are environmental degradation and the persistence of poverty. Both can be met by instituting a Global Resources Dividend (GRD) that would slow pollution and natural-resource depletion while collecting funds to avert poverty worldwide. Unlike Hillel Steiner's Global Fund, which is presented as a fully just regime governing the use of planetary resources, the GRD is meant as merely a modest but widely acceptable and therefore realistic step toward justice. Paula Casal has set forth various ways in which this step might be improved upon. Solid counter-arguments can be given to her criticisms and suggestions. But to specify the best (effective and realizable) design of an appropriate global institutional mechanism with some confidence, economists, political scientists, jurists, environmental scientists, and activists would need to be drawn in to help think through the immense empirical and political complexities posed by this urgent task.

Laudato Si’: An Indian Perspective

2017 ◽  
Vol 78 (1) ◽  
pp. 213-225 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clement Campos
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Pluralism ◽  
Pope Francis ◽  
Ecological Degradation ◽  
The Poor ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Indian Context ◽  
Indian Perspective

The Indian context is one of religious and cultural pluralism and massive poverty. Despite the reverence for the earth ingrained by its major religions, it has suffered enormous ecological devastation. In the encyclical Laudato Si,’ Pope Francis may very well be addressing India directly. In this article the author highlights its relevance and stresses the necessity of entering into dialogue with the major religions and the poor. In this way, in solidarity with all people, we can strive to recover our God-given place as creatures that share a bond of kinship with all created realities, heal the wounds inflicted on creation and render justice to the victims of ecological degradation.

scholarly journals Integrative Model of Nussp Program Policy Implementation in the Poor Community Empowerment Based on Tridaya

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 187
Author(s):  
Muhammad Tahir ◽  
Yulianto Kadji ◽  
Zuchri Abdussamad ◽  
Yanti Aneta
Keyword(s):  
Policy Implementation ◽  
Urban Slum ◽  
Community Empowerment ◽  
Integrative Model ◽  
Religious Values ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
The Poor ◽  
Program Policy ◽  
Social Empowerment ◽  
Poor Communities

The implementation of NUSSP (Neighborhood Upgrading Shelter Sector Project) program policy is a residential upgrading and settlement sector project in the context of urban slum settlement management for the empowerment of the poor communities based on tridaya in Makassar City which was implemented since 2005-2009 (phase I). This study used a qualitative approach by using case study at five urban villages of NUSSP’s program locations as the key areas, namely: Buloa, Cambaya, Lette, Rappocini, and Balang Beru sub-districts within Makassar. The data collection used in-depth interview, Focus Group Discussion (FGD), direct and participatory observation supported by document study, case history, and triangulation. The results of this study indicated that the integrative model achievement of NUSSP’s program policy implementation in handling of urban slum settlement by using the tridaya’s empowerment approach as an effort to empower the poor society, in the form of output and outcome of policy implementation that had provided benefits for the government and the poor communities from the empowerment development aspect, such as the physical environment, economic empowerment, and social empowerment. Although from the economic aspect and social empowerment were not relatively optimal conducted by government and private parties, neither were not yet relatively optimal conducted by NUSSP executing actors in the utilization of local cultural values and religious values to support the successful implementation of NUSSP program policies in the field. The findings of this study were in the form of the development of “Tridaya” empowerment concept into “Pancadaya” (environmental, social, economic, cultural and religious development). This finding revealed that the importance of the use of cultural and religious values transformed in the poor community empowerment concept, so it was assumed that they will give a significant contribution in supporting the integrative model of NUSSP’s program policy implementation in the handling of slums in order to empower the poor communities in urban slum areas.

scholarly journals ENVIRONMENT CONSERVATION-LEGAL ISSUES AND IMLICATIONS

2015 ◽  
Vol 3 (9SE) ◽  
pp. 1-3
Author(s):  
Ayush Jaiswal ◽  
Madhuri Krishnani
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Degradation ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Major Change ◽  
Legal Issues ◽  
Environmental Legislation ◽  
Recent Past ◽  
Enforcement Mechanism ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Global Concern ◽  
Protection Of Life

In the last few decades the large scale environmental degradation has caused global concern about the conservation and protection of life on the earth. In the recent past we are hearing about environmental legislation which is no different from the goal set out in our constitution. It has become imperative to bring major change as far the enforcement mechanism is concerned. There is no doubt that the technological inventions and progress has over powered nature, it has also resulted in the thoughtless exploitation of nature. If man is able to transform deserts into oasis he is also leaving behind deserts in the place of oasis.

scholarly journals Aesthetization of the christian ethical ideal in o. wilde's fairy tale «The Happy Prince»

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (22) ◽  
pp. 11-16
Author(s):  
Vitaliia Aleksenko ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Fairy Tale ◽  
Ancient Philosophy ◽  
Christian Doctrine ◽  
Dead Bird ◽  
The Poor ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Christian Love ◽  
The Aesthetic ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Precious Stones

The paper explores the problem of the relationship between the ideas of aesthetics and the Christian doctrine of active love in the famous tale written by O. Wilde. The research which emphasizes the Christian basis of the author's outlook became the methodological basis of the present study on the background of a detailed analysis of various assessments of the writer's position, interpreted as an immoral aesthete and as a supporter of socialist ideas or a recipient of ideas of ancient philosophy of spiritual beauty. The study proves this in detail, analyzing the plot and figurative solutions of the fairy tale «Happy Prince», taking into account the traditional Christian symbols. Thus, the image of the Prince-Statue, decorated with gold and precious stones, is interpreted as a symbol of Christ, who gives his splendor and power to save the poor. It is also reminiscent of the words of Christ, who tells a young rich man who seeks perfection to sell his wealth and give money to the poor. The very values of the earthly world, gold and precious stones, luxurious things made of them, are transparently interpreted in an ironically reduced tone. The confirmation of the fact that the aestheticization of being yields to the hidden spiritual greatness of Christian love and self-sacrifice is also that that the values of the earthly world, gold and precious stones are transparently interpreted in an ironic tone in the fairy tale. The swallow, being the ancient symbol of the Renaissance, this bird was lured by the perishable beauty of idols and tombs of Egypt, the biblical symbol of captivity. The swallow finds its purpose in the service of the Prince, scattering his precious clothes to the poor. And here the ethical criterion turns out to be higher than the aesthetic one. They are not rewarded on the Earth: the bird dies of the cold, and the remains of an unpresentable statue of the prince are demolished, the decisive word to belong to the professor of aesthetics. However, the angel of God brings the most precious things he has found in this city to the heavenly palaces of the Lord: the tin heart of the Prince, torn by grief, and a dead bird. By analyzing the writer's ideological system with implicit implications, Wilde's position is quite obvious: despite his apparent admiration for the aesthetics of beauty, the writer rejects ultimately the doctrine of aesthetics and exalts Christian values, setting out his concept in the style of a parable.

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