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Is the Pope Catholic? Or, is he a Gaiaist?
It used to be that a witty way to say “yes” was to instead answer “Is the Pope Catholic?”. Funny stuff, because there was nothing more certain than that. But after Friday’s speech on global warming, I am really starting to wonder.
Global warming alarmism is a religion. It has a deity (Gaia); it has a shared collection of transcendental beliefs; it has an apocalyptic end-times story; and it has many fervent believers, converts, and adherents. It also has non-believers (skeptics) and heretics 
(deniers) that are condemned by the virtuous. “Don’t you believe in climate change?” is how they challenge outsiders.
In the Friday speech, Pope Francis preached on how we must repent:
“that only one decade or so remains in order to achieve this confinement of global warming… time is running out! The climate crisis requires ‘our decisive action, here and now’ and the Church is fully committed to playing her part.”
He further preached on atonement:
“Carbon pricing is essential if humanity is to use the resources of creation wisely…The failure to deal with carbon emissions has incurred a vast debt that will now have to be repaid with interest by those coming after us. Our use of the world’s natural resources can only be considered ethical when the economic and social costs of using them are transparently recognized and are fully borne by those who incur them, rather than by other people or future generations.”
All of this has left me confused. I know that Pope Urban VII put Galileo under house arrest for questioning heliocentric teachings. The Church officially apologized for that in 1992. I know that Bro. Gregor Mendel is considered the father of genetic science. It seemed like the Catholic Church had managed to harmonize science with scripture, but then Pope Francis had to go all Beto with the Gaia thing. Now, if someone jokes, “Is the Pope Catholic?” I can only wonder….
Published in Religion & Philosophy
Nice post, DonG.
“Is the Pope Catholic? Or is he a Gaiaist?”
At first, I was going to say he is clearly a Gaiast- no question about it, but after further consideration, as low as the lying scum Gaiasts are, they don’t always fervently protect pedophiles, or murdering Marxists as the Pope does.
The Pope appears to have aligned himself with that wing of Progressivism that runs to defend and in fact glorify any human behavior that is disgustingly evil, and sick beyond the pale.
Those radically sick Progressives clearly want to destroy any Religion that wants to promote God and virtuous human behavior, and we are not talking about evil, murdering Islam which they defend at every turn.
Along those lines, while at times to give some semblance that is he still a follower of Christ, the Pope is forced to defend traditional Catholic doctrine, however it seems whenever he can, Pope Francis strives to undermine and cast doubt on the best that is Catholic Doctrine. He hides behinds certain pieties of the Church, like charity to others and a humble monk like lifestyle, to slyly promote a grotesque Leftist/Marxist vision that is the antithesis of “love your neighbor as thy self”.
Papal infallibility is attached to his ‘Office’, not his person. The subject matter must be in the area of faith and morals. And he must be speaking ex cathedra, or from the very seat of Peter.
None of these are present. The comments by Pope Francis on the environment are his opinion only and a Catholic may disagree. Bigly.
Retired Pope Benedict XVI provides clarification of this in the preface of his book Jesus of Nazareth …
Compare and contrast the genuine humility of the two most recent Popes.
The best thing “the Church” could do to reduce her carbon emissions is to ground the pope and ask him to put a cork in it. This whole climate change nonsense for him started with his encyclical letter La-La-La-La-Laudato Si and will culminate in this year’s Amazonian Synod where Francis will remake the Church in his image and save the planet at the same time.
The Church has harmonized science with Scripture (see Fides et Ratio). The pope “going all Beto” has nothing to do with the Church. The pope has no expertise in climate science – these are just his foolish thoughts.
Geo-centric.
The universe is heliocentric. (Still don’t understand why that was such an issue. The people revolve around The Son).
What strikes me is the lack of faith that this breathless “time is running out!” rhetoric suggests. The church will “do her part.”‘ So who is writing the script? I thought he worked for the almighty, who created the universe and has repeatedly save mankind’s bacon.
I was pretty certain the church believed the EoW would be Jesus’ return. Not melted ice caps.
The fire next time I’ve read of, in the book it is catholic to believe, sounds a lot hotter than mere melting of ice.
@donG I’ve referenced your post in a monthly theme post dashed off this Saturday.
Well, not precisely. Rocky Kolb gave a lecture that explains what went down with a bit more nuance. Galileo was treated gently for the times and his particular situation; he was punished more for being a jerk to his friend the Pope than for questioning dogma.
Seriously, this Pope is rewriting the end of the world, which in itself is forbidden by God. Did he ever read the book of Revelation? Maybe some underling can read it to him. To quote Christ, who is quoting Isaiah ,in Mathew 15:9 – “They worship me in vain, teaching as doctrine commandments of men.”
Personally, I think he’s profoundly misguided.
On the other hand, a cynic might say, it reminds one of the governor in Blazing Saddles proclaiming the need to do something to save his phony baloney job.
Well, the solar system is heliocentric. I don’t think our sun is the center of the entire universe. Actually since Einstein came along and demolished the notion of the ether, I’m not sure the very concept of the universe having a central point is still coherent.
You make a good point here – who is writing the script? I’m not sure the Pope is writing it…
One may not like the overly dramatic global warming politics that exists, but I fail to see how any of it is in opposition to Catholic teaching. Worrying about global warming is much like worrying about poverty it is a prudential matter. Nothing in Christian Doctrine demands or specifies a solution to either problem, and so there is quite a large room for latitude on these economic issues.
I think the Church can spend its time more wisely on other matters than Global Warming, but if the Pope wants to focus on it that is his prerogative. In other words, the Pope isn’t less Catholic if he disagrees with you on a political question.
It isn’t. Modern cosmology would argue that any spot can be seen as the center since all space is expanding out equally everywhere. Thus no place is really the center.
Modern?
Pascal
The Pope is by definition Catholic. He defines it and personifies it. Sadly the answer it your question “Is the Pope Catholic?” is “Yes, but it may no longer be that I am.”
Pope Francis wrote an encyclical on this nonsense: Laudato Si. He may not be doing the actual writing, but he is driving the bus.
If one accepts the idea that space began in a singular point and has been expanding since, then every point is the center of the universe.
I don’t think I agree with this, but then I’m not a catholic.
Speaking as an Anglican without a church… just cuz I don’t like how my church is bastardizing theology doesn’t mean I suddenly disagree with Anglican theology. In fact, that point is being stubbornly sticky as I contemplate joining another denomination.
Is it possible to hold that view toward the pope as a catholic?
Yes, it is. Fake John just has his own particular axe to grind with the Church. I’d have thought that axe would be razor sharp by now but he just keeps on grinding away.
Thus proving what I’ve long suspected: I am the center of the universe.
Yes, but ultimately to be Catholic you have to be in communion with the Pope and Church at large, and accept their authority. It’s like being married. You can disagree with your wife, but you still have to acknowledge she is your wife.
I think the thing to keep in mind is to distinguish theology from politics. Like I said. Global warming is a political issue. Catholic theology inspires people to take on political issues, and one can justify a political position based on catholic theology. But one can also take a different view of the same political issue without violating theological doctrine. The Pope has his politics and I have mine. I can live with his leftist politics, even though I dont much like them. In the log run (eterinity) they are irrelevant to the ultimate truth of Catholicism. Just like my classical liberal politics are.
The question is though, whether or not the pope is in communion with the Church. He has rejected the 2000 year teaching on the death penalty, he favors communion for the divorced and remarried, one wonders whether or not he believes in hell (he seems to favor soul annihilation for the damned), and on and on. And it seems to me, that with his upcoming Amazon synod, his Francis Church will be realized. I find it harder and harder to have respect for this man.
After listening to this TnT podcast, one must ask the question that is the title of the OP.
As Skinny Pete would say: church.
Where are the bishops and cardinals of the Church. Why do they stand for this nonsense?
Agreed.
I disagree. The progressive politics of Bergoglio are in contradiction to Catholic teaching. He wraps up his liberation theology and marxist leanings in a fuzzy humanitarianism that one might call an inordinate concern for social justice, radical politics, and an increasingly fanatical egalitarianism. Nothing Catholic there at all.
If you want to see how liberal politics and focus on climate change are opposed to Catholic teaching – see this article that takes apart the recent Laudato Si wannabe teaching from the California Catholic bishops.