Il Vangelo della Creazione – la responsabilità dell’uomo per il creato, Commento a Laudato si’

Abstract

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).