Pope Francis’ Encyclical Letter on climate change is a remarkably powerful ethical and factual argument for addressing the biggest global challenge of our time. I am not Catholic, but I can still appreciate and be inspired by the Pope’s moral leadership and his call for individual and collective responsibility.
A single statement rarely has much impact on complex matters of policy and public opinion, yet there are exceptions when some combination of timing, circumstance, message, and messenger come together in just the right way. Given the Pope’s unique standing, maybe this will be one of those exceptions – a moment when the conversation changes at some fundamental level. Let’s hope so.
If you can’t read the full statement from the Pope, here’s a useful summary from Time.