From Anthropocentrism to New Ecology, against Climate Disaster: An Appraisal based on Francis’ Laudato Si`

Abstract

The history of the Church profusely records overwhelming evidence which points to the prophetic nature of the Church. Various Church documents also attest to the prophetic nature of the Church because they anticipated many of the socio-economic, political and religious phenomena happening in contemporary society. The Church’s leaders and members are thus prophetic to the extent that the Popes down the centuries promulgate encyclicals that are deeply rooted in and stem from the rich tradition of the Catholic Church and yet they are informed by the contemporary challenges arising from a varied spectrum of socio-economic and political spheres. Technological advancements and capitalist greed exacerbate the reductionistic view of God’s creation. Creation,
specifically, the environment is attributed to an instrumental value, which means that its value is dependent on its usefulness to human beings. This anthropocentric view of the environment dominated the Church and even the world at large for a long time. However, Pope Francis promulgated a prophetic encyclical entitled Laudato Si, which advocates for ecocentrism instead of parochial one-dimensional eco-spiritualities which limit our worldview and diminish humanity’s respect for the environment hence the escalating problem of climate change (global warming) and associated incessant natural disasters like cyclones.