Cardinal Donald Wuerl of the Catholic archdiocese of Washington, D.C. defended Pope Francis’ climate change encyclical on Sunday, saying the papal decree lends a moral dimension to the climate change debate.
Wuerl told host Chris Wallace on “Fox News Sunday” that humanity has to examine climate change “through the moral dimension of, ‘How does this affect everyone on the planet?’ ”
The archbishop was addressing Pope Francis’ papal decree, or “encyclical,” on climate change that was issued Thursday.
The encyclical says that humanity has a direct role in causing climate change. But that position doesn’t sit well with Republicans, who argue that the encyclical is pushing the church too far into politics.
But Wuerl told Wallace that the pope is not saying how to address climate change; the encyclical is simply the beginning step for framing the issue. “What we get is the moral frame of reference for how we arrive at those positions,” Wuerl said.
A number of the GOP’s presidential contenders rebuked the pope’s encyclical. Conservative radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh accused the pope of siding with Democrats.
Catholic presidential candidates former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and former Sen. Rick Santorum said the pope overstepped the bounds of the church by addressing what they see as a political concern.
Wuerl said the papal decree is not making any sort of judgment, but is extending an invitation for dialogue. The pope is saying, “Why don’t we all discuss this? Why don’t we all come to the table?” he said.
“Anytime you address a worldwide problem, it is going to take a while to resolve,” the archbishop said.
