WASHINGTON (AP) β Some Catholic scholars are defending the pope’s right to issue an encyclical on climate change and environmental issues.
Climate change skeptics, both secular and religious, have suggested that Pope Francis is outside his field of expertise and should stick to theology.
But Father Drew Christiansen says Catholic social teaching’s concern for the good of all humanity is understood to encompass “the planetary good, which involves air and water and all the resources that we share in common.”
Christiansen, a professor of ethics and human development at Georgetown University, says previous popes also have stressed the need to be good custodians of the Earth.
Stephen White, a fellow in Catholic studies at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, says Francis’ concerns about climate change flow from the biblical teaching about humanity being “the crown of creation” and yet responsible for its stewardship.
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