Friday 15 May 2020

Laudato Si’ Day 5 - #50 Population Growth vs. Unbridled Consumerism


What does the Pope mean by “the present model of distribution”?

50. Instead of resolving the problems of the poor and thinking of how the world can be different, some can only propose a reduction in the birth rate.
At times, developing countries face forms of international pressure which make economic assistance contingent on certain policies of “reproductive health”. Yet “while it is true that an unequal distribution of the population and of available resources creates obstacles to development and a sustainable use of the environment, it must nonetheless be recognized that demographic growth is fully compatible with an integral and shared development”. To blame population growth instead of extreme and selective consumerism on the part of some, is one way of refusing to face the issues. It is an attempt to legitimize the present model of distribution, where a minority believes that it has the right to consume in a way which can never be universalized, since the planet could not even contain the waste products of such consumption. Besides, we know that approximately a third of all food produced is discarded, and “whenever food is thrown out it is as if it were stolen from the table of the poor”. Still, attention needs to be paid to imbalances in population density, on both national and global levels, since a rise in consumption would lead to complex regional situations, as a result of the interplay between problems linked to environmental pollution, transport, waste treatment, loss of resources and quality of life.
  1. Now read the passage again, finding and reflecting on a word, phrase or sentence that stands out for you.
  2. While reading a third time, prayerfully and with a listening heart, tell God  in your own words how you feel about what you have just read, and why. Does anything need to change for you in your life?
  3. Quieten your mind and allow time for silence and simply being present to God’s Presence.
  4. Finally, pray “A Christian Prayer in Union with Creation”