2015 November
Much of the world has become familiar with Pope Francis’ (and the Church’s) concern for the environment as well as for the plight of the world’s poor, both of which are treated at length in the recent encyclical Laudato Si’: On Care for Our Common Home (LS). In addressing the problem of “global environmental deterioration,”* the Holy Father, as one might expect, often refers to St. Francis of Assisi, who had a deep appreciation for nature and its relationship with mankind and who is often considered the patron saint of ecology. However, in a similar way, St. Benedict can be considered…