If you care about God’s handiwork you’ll protect nature, Pope says

By Ann Schneible

Vatican City, Feb 9, 2015 / 04:23 pm (CNA).- Set to finish his encyclical on the environment next month, Pope Francis said during his daily Mass at the Vatican on Monday that Christians who fail to safeguard nature do not care about God’s handiwork.

“A Christian who does not protect creation, who does not allow it to grow, is a Christian who does not care about God’s labors” which are borne out of God’s love for us, the Pope said Feb. 9.

His remarks were based in part on the day’s first reading from Genesis 1:1-19, comparing God’s creation of the universe with the Jesus’ “re-creation” of that which “had been ruined by sin.”

Pope Francis announced to journalists on his way to the Philippines last month that plans to have his much-anticipated encyclical on man’s relationship with creation finished in March. 

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today’ Did you know… (DYK)

Did you know… (DYK)

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• …that Roman Catholic and some Protestant churches celebrate Mass, while Eastern Christian churches instead celebrate Divine Liturgy?
• …that the length of a Church service can vary widely, depending on the denomination and priest, and can range from 40 minutes to 3 hours?
• …that Mandarin Chinese translates the word “Christ” as Jidu (基督)?
• …that the Basilica of Our Lady of Peace of Yamoussoukro in Côte d’Ivoire is listed by Guinness World Records as the largest church in the world?

this pressed: Pope doesn’t shy away from hot-button issues in Manila|Info 24.us

MANILA, Philippines — Pope Francis issued his strongest defense yet of church teaching opposing artificial contraception on Friday, using a rally in Asia’s largest Catholic nation to urge families to be “sanctuaries of respect for life.”

Francis also denounced the corruption that has plagued the Philippines for decades and urged officials to instead work to end its “scandalous” poverty and social inequalities during his first full day in Manila, where he received a rock star’s welcome at every turn.

Security was tighter than it has ever been for this pope, who relishes plunging into crowds. Cellphone service around the city was intentionally jammed for a second day on orders of the National Telecommunications Commission and roadblocks along Francis’ motorcade route snarled traffic for miles.

via Pope doesn’t shy away from hot-button issues in Manila.

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Today’s Birthday: MARIE CARMICHAEL STOPES (1880)

Marie Carmichael Stopes (1880)

A Scottish paleobotanist whose first marriage was annulled—and allegedly never consummated—Stopes went on to publish a controversial yet highly influential sex manual, Married Love, in 1918. Thereafter, she became a pioneer in the field of family planning, opening the first birth-control clinic in the British Empire in 1921. Stopes helped break down taboos and improve women’s reproductive health, but her support of what field of reproductive science has somewhat marred her reputation? More… Discuss