The Gospel of Creation - man's responsibility for creation
Commentary on Laudato si'
Keywords:
Laudato si’, concern for creation, dominium terrae, responsibility, dignityAbstract
The article offers a commentary on the first three parts of the second chapter of the encyclical Laudato si', entitled The Gospel of Creation. Pope Francis wishes to offer his readers great wealth of life experience that emerges from the Bible in order to put it at the service of an "integral ecology" in a fruitful dialogue between science and faith. Due to the great complexity of the ecological issue, a multicultural and multidisciplinary dialogue is required. Beginning with the beauty and goodness of the original creation, the encyclical speaks of a rupture that arose from a primal disobedience that had ramifications for the rest of history. The excursus, which aims to deepen the issue of dominium terrae in an exegetical manner, analyzes four verbs which in two descriptions of creation speak of human influence on nature: dominate and subordinate, nurture and preserve. As humanity, we are invited by the Pope to recognize the value of creation as a gift and to listen to the wounded voice of all creation, rediscovering the courage to heal its many wounds. In this way the contemporary humanity will be able to sing hymns of praise and admiration for God over the beauty of creation. The Pope, summing up biblical and theological teaching, reaffirms the ultimate goal of creation: “all creatures are moving forward with us and through us towards a common point of arrival, which is God” (LS 83). The ultimate plan, implemented in the fullness of God, has already been attained by the risen Christ (LS 83).
References
AA. VV., Abiterai la terra. Commento all’enciclica Laudato si’, con il testo integrale di papa Francesco, a cura di G. Notarstefano, Editrice Ave, Roma 2020.
Benedetto XVI, Omelia per il solenne inizio del ministero petrino (24 aprile 2005): AAS 97 (2005).
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Francesco, Laudato Si’. Lettera enciclica sulla cura della casa comune, testo integrale e commento de “La Civiltà Cattolica, intr. di Antonio Spadaro, Ancora/La Civiltà Cattolica, Milano 2015.
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Materiale dal web
Dalsace Y., Responsabilité envers la nature, consultabile al seguente link: http://akadem.org/sommaire/themes/limoud/individu-et-pouvoir/individu-et-societe/responsabilite-envers-la-nature-28-11-2006-6795_227.php.
Laudato Si' / 2 - Il vangelo della creazione (P. Paul Mueller, S.I. - P. Peter Lah, S.I.), svoltosi il 22 luglio 2016 presso l’Università Gregoriana a Roma e disponibile al seguente link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9bUCD8p260
Per una teologia del creato: fondamenti biblici, patristici, teologici e etici, tenutosi a Roma il 1 marzo 2008, presso l’Angelicum, Pontificia Università S. Tommaso d’Aquino, Quaderno CEI n. 15-08, 14-15. Gli Atti del seminario, tenutosi presso l’Angelicum, sono disponibili al seguente link:
https://www.chiesacattolica.it/cci_new_v3/allegati/8335/Notiziario2-08.pdf
Porrino G.M., «Antropocene. Una delucidazione dalla Bibbia?», in Antropocene e bene comune, tra nuove tecnologie, nuove epistemologie e nuovi virus, a cura di Langella S., Damonte M., Massaro A., Genova University Press,105-122.
Spadaro A., Guida alla lettura dell'enciclica di papa Francesco, 11 luglio 2015, al seguente link: https://www.laciviltacattolica.it/articolo/laudato-si-guida-alla-lettura-dellenciclica-di-papa-francesco/, consultato il 16 giugno 2021.
Steymans H.-U., La Bible donne-t-elle à l’homme tous les droits sur la terre?, del 22.12.2015, disponibile al seguente link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8pMnNt6Q0k
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