Benedict XVI and ecology: Protecting creation requires a new cultural vision

More than any of his predecessors, the German pontiff has spoken out about the environment and ecology, to the point that he has earned the nickname “Green Pope.” Father Mariano Pappalardo, director of the Evangelization and Catechesis service of the diocese of Rieti: for him, the book of nature is an “invisible book” that includes all aspects of life, the mistakes made by man derive from a vision narrow in this regard.

Maria Milvia Morciano, Vatican City

In the first pages of the encyclical Laudato si’, Pope Francis stops to talk about the relationship of his predecessors with creation. In particular, he offers a synthesis of the thought of Benedict XVI, who incessantly addressed environmental issues during the years of his pontificate. Sometimes it was about brief hints, other times about broader visions, as in the encyclical smilies in truth.

We talked about it with Father Mariano Pappalardo, director of the Evangelization and Catechesis service of the diocese of Rieti and parish priest of the church of San Francesco al Terminillo, where he founded the Monastic Fraternity of the Transfiguration according to the rule of Saint Benedict. Father Pappalardo also led a series of readings and comments on Laudato si’ a few years ago in the Laudato si’ – Slow Food Community of Rieti.

The Pope emeritus has traced, so to speak, some great clues along which the ecological debate has been channeled. Three in particular are the fundamental points.

The relationship between nature and culture

The first way is, according to Father Pappalardo, “the radical connection between nature and culture, since the relationship that man has with nature has a cultural root. Therefore, in order to change the relationship with nature, it is necessary to change, for Benedict, our cultural system”. As long as we remain entrenched, locked in the barbed wire of our traditional cultural systems, it will be difficult for us to renew our relationship with nature.

understanding ability

A second aspect that Benedict points out to us is how important it is to develop the ability to understand, in the literal sense of “holding together”, in order to understand, evaluate, judge and choose. In Caritas in veritate Benedict writes that the book of nature is an “invisible book” that includes the environment, life, family, sexuality, that is, it includes all aspects. His is an integrative vision, which includes everything. Errors, instead, come from a narrow vision, which Benedict invites us to overcome through an open and harmonious vision, never conflictive.

generate vision

The third way is knowing how to free yourself from partial visions to generate vision. The great risk of today’s man, Benedict maintains, is that of being men without vision. If we do not have a vision of the world, of history, of the Church, of God, of spirituality, and we advance by short paths, by shortcuts, if we are not capable of looking beyond, knowing how to anticipate and looking beyond the visible, anticipating time and, therefore, knowing how to plan more broadly, we deprive ourselves of achieving something great, something satisfying.

Benedict XVI and ecology: Protecting creation requires a new cultural vision – Vatican News