Mixed message from pope

Sat., June 27, 2015

I think people in past ages may have looked at the natural world and seen there the image of God; some may still do, at least part of the time. Times and cultures change, and we moderns have learned to see the world as material and causal.

Pope Francis’ encyclical may represent this view; he was trained as a chemist and has a claim to the modern view. On the other hand, he is a religious leader and may legitimately express an archaic understanding.

Until I can decide how the pope is speaking, I do not know how to read his message; whether as a general indictment of the causal, material enterprise or as a poor performance review of the present-day managers.

Gregory Chipps

Spokane

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