The Pope's Encyclical

How dare that Pope Francis presume to say anything about the environment! Ahead of Thursday's release of his encyclical, Laudate Si, the conservatives are spinning and protesting that the Pope isn't a scientist, and of course climate change is faked by greedy scientists!  Uber-Catholic Rick Santorum tells the pope to stay away from science.  Though while the recent internet meme that he has an MS in Chemistry is wrong, Francis did study chemistry and worked as a chemist before seminary-- which is more science than Rick Santorum understands.

The Catholic magazine Our Sunday Visitor scolds the protestors,

A line is crossed [when] rational exchange turns into venom-spewing, ideologically based commentary. And this is what has taken place. Well before the encyclical’s release, a veritable campaign against its content has not only been initiated, but has been growing in intensity. That these efforts presuppose the document’s content is bad enough, but they have gone much further. Some Catholic observers and commentators have recommended that their fellow members in faith completely ignore the work, calling it baseless and not a priority. Others have even mocked the Holy Father and questioned his mental state. It’s shameful behavior, and hardly befitting a Church that calls itself “one, holy and apostolic.”

That the majority of this vitriol should come at the hands of self-styled conservatives is as disappointing as it is ironic. Just a few short years ago, with Pope Benedict at the helm of the Church, it was these same Catholics calling on their self-styled liberal counterparts to not ignore or berate the teachings or the office of the Holy Father — in short to not be “cafeteria Catholics” when they disagreed with Benedict. Now the situation is reversed, and these offended Catholics are becoming the perpetrators of the same offensive abuse.

It’s true that Catholics are not required to agree with every word that is proclaimed by the pope. His infallibility is used sparingly, as is prudent. But to prejudge his teaching is unacceptable. To disparage, cast aside and belittle the leader of the Church is worse. Not only is it profoundly disrespectful to the office, it’s simply the wrong behavior for Catholics to be engaging in. It’s nasty, negative spin.

CNN reports,

The head of the Vatican's Academy of Sciences dismissed the attacks, saying they came only from the "Tea Party and those who derive their income from oil."

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