On June 18, Pope Francis issued the second encyclical letter of his pontificate. It was entitled, “Laudato Si’ mi Signore (Praise be to you, my Lord), on Care for our Common Home.” As you have probably seen in news accounts and commentaries, the Holy Father addressed issues relating to ecology in that document.

An encyclical is a pastoral letter sent by the pope, sometimes to the members of the Church, or as in this case to all people of the world. In either case, such a letter is one of the highest forms of teaching of the Holy Father. As such it merits our attention, our prayer and the openness of our hearts and consciences because as the successor of Peter, every pope plays a special role in the Church by the very plan of Christ.

Encyclical letters typically convey varying levels of teaching. “Laudato Si’ ” is no exception. Such letters convey reminders of fundamental and established elements of faith that are essential for faithful believers. A pope might even use an encyclical to make a definitive or even infallible clarification of our faith. That is not the case in  “Laudato Si’ .”

But most often, such documents are filled with prudential considerations and suggestions that all of us are to take seriously in our prayer and in living our faith in the world.

Given the contemporary discussions that surround the topic of the environment and ecology, it is no surprise that commentators on all sides have raced to make their voice heard in interpreting Pope Francis’ writing. The document covers so much ground and so many issues that it is possible for someone to selectively highlight something that they support or oppose.

The environment and ecology is of course a sensitive and much discussed topic. It engages a great deal of political energy. Pope Francis obviously wanted to draw our spiritual attention to the questions surrounding that topic. He does not hesitate to address certain specific issues such as the scientific evidence for global warming. But he also clearly states, “the Church does not presume to settle scientific questions or to replace politics. But I am concerned to encourage an honest and open debate so that particular interests or ideologies will not prejudice the common good.” (n. 188 [Numbers refer to paragraphs in the encyclical.]).

A careful reading of the whole document reflects not a political statement, but a deep religious conviction that has been at the heart of the papacy of Francis.

It is his concern to remind a world that is increasingly losing its moral compass and its faith that as human beings we exist as part of an unbreakable series of relationships. The heart of the pope’s message is that every human being is in relation with God, with each other and with the earth, that is with all of creation (n. 66). Everything about creation is interconnected (n. 70). If we do not recognize and respect each of these connections, we do not understand the world or ourselves.

Pope Francis calls into question a number of the practices of modern life, especially in the developed world. He cries out against examples of environmental degradation and waste. But he continually makes the point that the environment is not independent of its creator. Nor is it independent of the dignity of God’s highest creation, the human person.

For this reason, the pope returns time and again in the document to highlight the connection between respecting the environment and respecting the poor and the weak.

“When we fail to acknowledge as part of reality the worth of a poor person, a human embryo, a person with disabilities — to offer just a few examples — it becomes difficult to hear the cry of nature itself; everything is connected,” he writes (n. 117).

It is on this basis that Pope Francis speaks of an integrated ecology. That ecology does not stop with the environment. It is also economic, social, cultural, personal and most of all spiritual.

His reminder to us is that while the outcry to protect the earth is right and just, that effort must respect all members of our common home because we are all made in God’s image.

In the Diocese of Rockford, the message to care for the environment is always timely. In this area we are heavily agricultural in life and organization. But throughout northern Illinois we are blessed with the beauty of lakes, of the Fox, the Rock and the Mississippi rivers, and we love the beauty of the hills and ridges of Galena. We also have our poor and our needy. We have families that are strong and those that are distressed and in difficulty.

The pope reminds us that all of these are elements, occupants and contributors to our common home.

His message is a reminder to take good care of that home.