The Pope’s Encyclical book group continued October 8 with a thoughtful discussion about Chapter 2,”The Gospel of Creation.” In the words of one participant, the session provided a “safe container” to express personal feelings about the Pope’s message in the context of each person’s religious, ethical, and cultural perspective.

Everyone learned from each other and deepened their understanding to pope’s central message: that we need to turn away from a theology of dominion over nature to one of stewardship, where we recognize the value and interdependence of all life on earth and embrace a shared responsibility for making things better.

The book group will continue October 15, with a discussion of Chapter 3, “The Human Roots of the Ecological Crisis.” Newcomers to the group are welcome. All that’s required is an interest in learning from the document and from others, and a commitment to try to complete the reading assignments. If you’re interested, please send email to barbaraweinstein2@gmail.com.

You can download the Encyclical here.