Continuing our series of reflection questions on Laudato Si’ – Care for our Common Home, Pope Francis’ letter on our environment. For the full text of his letter see part three of the summaries on our home page.

Chapter 2: The Gospel of creation

1. According to Francis, the Bible teaches that the harmony between the creator, humanity, and creation was disrupted by our presuming to take the place of God and refusing to acknowledge our creature-ly limitations (66) What does it mean to presume to take the place of God?

2.  How Francis interpret Genesis 1:28, which grants humankind dominion over  the earth (67)?

3. How does Francis use the Bible to support his view that the gift of the earth with its fruits belongs to everyone (71)?

4. In reflecting on the mystery of the universe, what does Francis mean by saying that “ creation is of the order of love” (77)?

5. What is our role “in this universe, shaped by open and intercommunicating systems” where “we can discern countless forms of relationship and participation” (79)?

6. Francis says, “Creating a world in need of development, God is some way sought to limit himself in such a way that many of the things  we think of as evils, dangers or sources of suffering, are in reality part of the pains of childbirth which he uses to draw us into the act of cooperation with the creator” (80) How do you understand this?

7. If the ultimate purpose of other creatures is not to be found in us, how do we and other creatures fit into God’s plan (83)?

8. Alongside revelation contained in  Scripture, “there is a divine manifestation in the blaze of the sun and the fall of night” (85) How have you experienced God in creation?

9. What is your  reaction to the hymn of St. Francis of Assisi (87)?

10.     “The Christian tradition has never recognized the right to private property as absolute or inviolable, and has   stressed the social purpose of all forms of private property” (93). When can the right to private property be subordinated to the common good?

11. What was the attitude of Jesus toward creation? (96-100)

Chapter 3 The human roots of the ecological crisis

1. What is Francis’ attitude toward technology? What does he mean by the technocratic paradigm (101-, 106-114)?
2. How does Francis argue that “technological products are not neutral,” (107,114) that “the technocratic paradigm also tends to dominate economic and political life” (109)?
3. Francis says, “we are too slow in developing economic institutions and social initiatives which can give the poor regular access to basic resources” (109) What does he mean?Why does this happen?

4. Francis asserts that “by itself the market cannot guarantee integral human development and social inclusion” (109)  Why does he say this? Do you agree?

5. Francis argues, “To seek only a technical remedy to each environmental problem which comes up is to separate what is in reality interconnected and to mask the true and deepest problems of the global system” (111)   What are the true and deepest problems of the global system in Francis’ mind?

6. Francis calls for a broadband vision (112) “ a bold cultural revolution” (114) What would that look like?

7.  What does Francis mean by “modern anthropocentrism” 115?

8. For Francis, “ the present ecological crisis is one small signof the ethical, cultural and spiritual crisis of modernity” (119) What does Francis mean by “practical relativism” (122) and cultural relativism?

9. Why does Francis argue that any approach to integrated ecology must also protect employment (124)?

10. What does Francis see as the positive and negative aspects of biological technologies (130-136)?