To the Editor:
Pope Francis’ new encyclical Laudato Si has attracted a lot of media attention, mostly focusing on what he wrote about climate change. It is disappointing to see so much emphasis being placed on such a small part of the encyclical. Pope Francis wrote four paragraphs about climate change, and the media conveys the message that global warming is all that Pope Francis wrote about.
Some people go as far to claim that this encyclical shows Pope Francis’ support for their political views. Pope Francis is neither a scientist nor a politician. Using his encyclical to support a biased political agenda is wrong and certainly misses the point. I ask those writing about the encyclical to focus on the whole message, not a narrow political agenda.
Thomas Riester
Muscatine
Editor’s note: Pope Francis is a scientist, with a degree in chemistry. He is not speaking as a scientist, but refers to scientific findings, as did St. John Paul II.
