How Do You Spell Encyclical?

encyclical noun:
an official letter from the Pope to the Roman Catholic bishops                                           

 

Most people would be baffled and perplexed by the word encyclical, but there is a fair amount of speculation and excitement about the possibility of an impending papal encyclical by Pope Francis. The subject will be environmental responsibility with a focus on climate change, and would be the first encyclical on the subject by a Roman Catholic pope. Now both his predecessors,  Benedict XVI and John Paul II, issued thoughtful and theologically nuanced statements on the environment, but an encyclical has greater heft in the church, so this would be a progression rather than a departure.

One of the reasons that Pope Francis would issue the encyclical at the beginning of 2015 is because of the climate change conference, COP21 scheduled for December of this year in Paris, France. This is seen as a pivotal conference in terms of forging an international agreement on climate change. These UN sponsored conferences tend to be "much ado about nothing" in terms of substantive agreements, but there seems to be a sense of urgency in this year. Time will tell.



Many faith organizations are already planning how they will support the conference and its initiatives, and a well-crafted statement from the Vatican will be important for the credibility of the broader church, along with other faiths.

A couple of days ago I was pondering what I might say about what is one of the defining issues, if not the defining issue of our time. I wanted to comment on the impending encyclical, and then I heard a piece on CBC radio's The Current during which ecological ethicist and theologian, Heather Eaton, evangelical leader Jim Wallis, and a Green Muslim spokesperson, Asma Mahdi, all reflected on climate change and the importance of the pope's leadership. There is a growing awareness that faith communities have something to say about the care of creation and that we can move from being "light green" to "deep green," to use Eaton's terms. http://www.cbc.ca/thecurrent/episode/2015/01/05/pope-francis-climate-change-religion/

I am heartened by all this. For so many years I have expressed my conviction that a practical response to the environmental issues of our time is truly "gospel," because we declare our conviction that God is Creator and the incarnation of God in Christ is "earthy. What we say, and more importantly, what we do, is an expression of our faithfulness.

So, even if we have only a sketchy understanding of what an encyclical is, we can pray that this one makes a difference.

Thoughts?