Has the pope ever publicly condemned the destruction of the Amazon rainforest?

Question

The Dalai Lama's condemnation of tiger skinning in Tibet stopped this ingrained cultural practice in it's tracks.

As far as I can see a pope has never used the persuading power of religion to convince the devoutly catholic population of Brazil of the importance of conserving the Amazon.

Hasn't this ever occurred to anyone?

Answer 1

Yes.

The speech of Pope John Paul II to the Bishops of Brazil's Northern region on 14 September 2002: http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/speeches/2002/september/documents/hf_jp-ii_spe_20020914_ad-limina-brazil-iii_en.html

Here is Pope Benedict XVI's Letter on the occasion of the Sixth Symposium on "Religion, Science and the Environment" under the title "Amazon, Source of Life" dated 6 July 2006: http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/letters/2006/documents/hf_ben-xvi_let_20060706_bartolomeo-i_en.html

The Vatican's Pontifical Academy of Sciences even sponsored a workshop on “Interactions between Global Change and Human Health” from 31 October to 2 November 2004 which discussed the Amazon rainforest: http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_academies/acdscien/documents/rc_pa_acdscien_doc_20040702_workshop-press-release_en.html

And the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church (2004) states, "Each person can easily recognize, for example, the importance of the Amazon, “one of the world's most precious natural regions because of its bio- diversity which makes it vital for the environmental balance of the entire planet”." http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/justpeace/documents/rc_pc_justpeace_doc_20060526_compendio-dott-soc_en.html

With love in Christ.

Answer 2

When the Polish Solidarity labor movement threatened to turn violent during the 1980s, the then Pope John Paul was able to influence the activists and workers to demonstrate peacefully. In devoutly Catholic Poland, he had influence.

Brazil is a different story. Have you ever been to a Brazilian beach? Hoo-chee Momma! In Brazil, when the local females go out to catch some rays, they wear basically a rubber band on top, and a rubber band on the bottom, and not much else.

?

Believe me, that's not how "devout Catholics" carry on.

Sure, let His Holiness speak to the "devoutly Catholic" Brazilian people about the necessity of conserving the Amazon rainforest . . .

(How do you say, "Oh, he's just whistlin' Dixie" in Portugese?)

Answer 3

Why would the Pope care?

Brazil may have a devout Catholic population, but they sure as hell aren't out living in the rain forests. The only ones that would be hurt at all by the rain forest's destruction are indigenous tribes, and nobody gives a crap about them anyway. They don't even have phones.

Answer 4

First, I think claiming Senator Obama as the most anything without justification is unwise. The Pope will probably teach on pro-life issues but he will probably not name names, expecially not the names of presidential candidates. None of the three support all Catholic teachings. With love in Christ.

Answer 5

The Pope would not go for that idea, helping people? pffff, he'd much rather bleed them dry to buy a candlestick for a church no-one can get to than give money to an african aid charity or speak out against evils unless the evils in question threaten his income.
also technically vatican is a country in its own right so he is not only happy in his one man palace but in his one man country

Answer 6

If it affected the Church's coffers you can bet he would, but the Pope doesn't have any business ventures in the Amazon. It is not cost effective to take money from people who have none, only from those who have very little, like in South America, the largest Catholic region in the world.

Answer 7

The Catholic church probably makes money somehow from the deforestation of Brazil. The Pope is a businessman, there's no reason he would jeopardize his own income.

Answer 8

has your favourite political party said anything'
or your favourite singing group, actor' your best friend.
You have to single out the Pope.

Answer 9

Catholics don't live in the Amazon rainforest -- Pagans do.

(Yes, I'm calling them Pagan)


- 17 yo Pagan

Answer 10

The Vatican has certainly spoken out against this practice.
And, by the way, tigers are STILL being skinned. (Where DO you live?)