We have an obligation to the rest of the world to take care of what we have and to

not deplete all of the resources for future generations who deserve a right to live
and enjoy the same resources that God has provided to us, Bishop Gregory J.
Hartmayer, OFM Conv. said in summing up the themes of the new encyclical,
Laudato Si, Praised Be.
Bishop Hartmayer urged everyone to take the time to read Pope Francis pastoral
letter, rather than simply reading the summaries and opinions of others who have
read it.
Here is the complete text of a question and answer session with Bishop Hartmayer
about the new document:
Have you had a chance to read the new encyclical from Pope Francis?
Well since the encyclical was issued yesterday, Ive had a chance to receive a
number of summaries and read some of the summaries that have been published
already, so Im in the process of reading the original document.
What would you suggest to people in our diocese about reading the
encyclical?
Well, first of all, I think the best thing to do is to read the encyclical. Read exactly
what [Pope] Francis is saying and not what other people are saying about what
[Pope] Francis is saying. Because I think he has a particular message for all of us
and its important that we read the original language.
Do you think its a moral or theological issue? Why is it important for Pope
Francis to speak about this?
Pope Francis has made this work an encyclical, which raises it to a higher level of
importance in the magisterium of the church, the teaching authority of the church.
He sees ecology and conservation and the taking care of the place that God gave us
to live, as a very important question and consideration for us to consider at this
time for ourselves and for future generations.
You spoke of future generations, and that seems to be a big part of this.
Pope Francis is a very forward-thinking person and he has the vision to remind us
of something that we all know, that this world has been here for a while and will be
here for a while, but in the meantime, while we are living on it and enjoying its
fruits, we have an obligation to the rest of the world to take care of what we have
and to not deplete all of the resources for future generations who deserve a right to
live and enjoy the same resources that God has provided to us.
Do you think the Church has the right to be part of this conversation?

Well, its a moral issue, theres no question about it because we have that obligation
to take care of the poor. God gave us this place to live and that is the premise in
which Pope Francis has written this encyclical, Laudato Si, which means Praised
Be, which is the language of St. Francis in his Canticle of the Creatures and he
talks about them in such ways of endearment that he calls them brothers and
sisters -- Brother Sun, Sister Moon and Mother Earth. And he calls each of the
created entities that God made for us to enjoy, called them by name. There was a
relationship. And Pope Francis has used that to reacquaint us with that notion that
everything that God made was for us to enjoy and to deplete and not to compete
for profit. And not to restore what we took from the earth or what we are enjoying
from the earth and not replenishing it for the future generations because we have
an obligation to take care of those who are living and sharing this planet now and
theres certainly enough food, enough resources, on this earth, to take care of all of
the needs of the people who live on this earth at this moment, especially [Pope]
Francis points out, drinking water.
As a Franciscan, do you especially relate to the fact that he picked the
Canticle of St. Francis as the name of this document?
Pope Francis is certainly using his love of St. Francis and his knowledge of St. Francis
in the writing of this encyclical and relating St. Francis spirituality to the writings
that Pope Francis has given us through this encyclical. And that is, to look at
creation as a partner, as something that God has given us to enjoy, to work with, to
live by, but also to restore and to replenish for the generations to come. Thats a
moral obligation that we have. We simply cannot take and not replace.
Why do you think some folks feel uncomfortable about this encyclical?
Does any part of it make you uncomfortable or challenge you in any way?
I think that those who will feel a little bit uncomfortable with the words of Pope
Francis in this encyclical are those who are making a profit from what creation has
given to us, because it is a business for them . . . those who are excavating and
destroying the earth for their profits and not caring about replacing what theyre
taking for future generations. [Pope] Francis is most concerned about those who
simply see the earth as a commodity, as something to be used . . . without any
obligation whatsoever to think about future generations. Those are the people who
should feel most uncomfortable about this encyclical.
I think Pope Francis, in using St. Francis spirituality to underscore the theme of this
encyclical, is very deliberate. I think Pope Francis has a real insight into St. Franciss
understanding of creation and his love of creation and I think Pope Francis also
appreciates St. Franciss care for creation, because he sees in creation the face of
God.
He sees that God is the author of all that we enjoy and all that we live, but Pope
Francis takes this a step further and says that we share this planet. This is a

common home, [Pope] Francis says, that God has given us to enjoy and to live in,
together. And so we must find ways to distribute the goods of this earth equally so
that there are no hungry, there are no thirsty, there are no people who are living
without, and those who are making big profits from the natural resources of this
earth, have a moral obligation to replenish what they take, and to share what they
have with the poor, who are for no reason of their own, are not able to enjoy clean
water, or substantial food to keep them healthy and alive and productive and a
partner in this world in which God gave us to live.