What the Pope really said about the earth

 

Whenever Pope Benedict XVI utters any cultural buzzword, no matter what the real context, the media run away with it.

Pope Benedict XVI’s question and answer session with Italian clergy Tuesday has been reported on by the world’s media, noting mostly his references to evolution and care for the planet.  Most media have failed, however, to note that in his remarks on the necessity of care for the earth, the Pope explicitly noted the necessity of “absolute respect” for human life.

Doesn’t that figure? Typical media MO.

What did the Pope say, actually?

“We can all see today that man could destroy the foundation of his existence, the earth,” he said.  “Therefore we can no longer just simply do whatever we want with this earth which has been entrusted to us.”  We must, he said, “respect the inner laws of creation, of the earth, to learn these laws and obey these laws if we are to survive.”

The Pope noted that this “obedience to the voice of the earth is more important for our future happiness than the voices of the moment, the desires of the moment.”  He said, “our own planet speaks with us and we should be listening if we want to survive and decipher this message about the earth.”

The media loved this part of the message, the Pope encouraging good and sensitive stewardship of the earth.

BUT….

Immediately following this statement Pope Benedict added this line which is left out of most mainstream media coverage: “And if we should be obedient to the voice of the earth, much more we must be obedient to the voice of human life.”

(my highlight)

The Pope added: “We not only take care of the earth, but we must respect the other, other human beings…only in absolute respect of other (humans)…can we make progress.”

Note that he said “only”, and “absolute respect”. These words mean things. But the media use them selectively.

Just as with Pope John Paul II’s comments on evolution in 1996, the world media pounced on Pope Benedict XVI’s comments regarding evolution made in the same dialogue with the priests Tuesday.  While many may mistakenly believe the Popes have endorsed evolutionary theory wholesale, that is not the case.

In fact, the Popes have consistently noted that evolution, while it may have portions of truth, is incomplete.  Pope Benedict stated as much in his homily at his inaugural Mass as Pope in 2005.  “We are not some casual and meaningless product of evolution,” he said.  “Each of us is the result of a thought of God. Each of us is willed, each of us is loved, each of us is necessary…

In his remarks Tuesday, the Pope began his comments on evolution saying, “But the big problem is that if God is not present and is not the Creator of my life, in reality life is just a simple part of evolution, nothing else, it has no meaning in itself.”

We’re hearing mostly one side of these debates on the environment and evolution in the major media, and certainly the language of life. But there’s no debate without the fullness of thought on the issues. You can find more of that when the Church addresses them, like this:

Subjects which so intimately concern the well-being and the welfare of humanity, the transmission and the protection of human life, such fundamental institutions as marriage and the family, and responsible stewardship of the Earth’s resources and its environment must be approached with caution, indeed with reverence and respect.

We live in a world which is marked all too often with predominantly utilitarian values. But decisions about the human person cannot be measured only or even primarily in utilitarian terms. When we proclaim…that “human beings are at the center of concerns for sustainable development,” we already clarify the vision of development we wish to foster. 

And when the Pope applies reason and intellect to issues like evolution.

That’s too long for the media. They can’t even get through a complete answer in the Q&A with the Italian clergy. And it was only a few sentences.