This is the last in this series of meditations on the Pope's encyclical, Laudato Si', Chapter 1, Section V - Global Inequality.
What does the Pope mean by “structural perversion” and “differentiated responsibilities”?
52. The foreign debt of poor countries has become a way of controlling them, yet this is not the case where ecological debt is concerned. In different ways, developing countries, where the most important reserves of the biosphere are found, continue to fuel the development of richer countries at the cost of their own present and future.The land of the southern poor is rich and mostly unpolluted, yet access to ownership of goods and resources for meeting vital needs is inhibited by a system of commercial relations and ownership which is structurally perverse. The developed countries ought to help pay this debt by significantly limiting their consumption of non-renewable energy and by assisting poorer countries to support policies and programmes of sustainable development. The poorest areas and countries are less capable of adopting new models for reducing environmental impact because they lack the wherewithal to develop the necessary processes and to cover their costs. We must continue to be aware that, regarding climate change, there are differentiated responsibilities. As the United States bishops have said, greater attention must be given to “the needs of the poor, the weak and the vulnerable, in a debate often dominated by more powerful interests”. We need to strengthen the conviction that we are one single human family. There are no frontiers or barriers, political or social, behind which we can hide, still less is there room for the globalization of indifference.
- Now read the passage again, finding and reflecting on a word, phrase or sentence that stands out for you.
- 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. Do you feel the need to change anything in your life?
- Quieten your mind and allow time for silence and simply being present to God’s Presence.
- Finally, pray “A prayer for our earth”.