After yesterday's anti-environmentalist screed, you may think that I'm boycotting Francis' new encyclical in a fit of pique. But that's not true. I will try to read it at some point, but there are two reasons why I won't be downloading it right away.
The first is that I really just don't read encyclicals very often. A friend bought me copies of Benedict XVI's encyclicals and I've never read them. I love Benedict XVI and have read many of his books. But I just have no interest in reading his encyclicals. I've tried to read some of Pope St John Paul's encyclicals and soldiered all the way through Centessimus Annus but I have been unable to read even one other specimen of the great man's work. And don't even get me started on the documents of Vatican II. I like to call these works "busy books" because when I sit down to read them, I realize I need to get busy with household chores, like cleaning the gutters, scrubbing the floor and snaking the toilet; all of which are more interesting than reading papal documents. I've never even started on Francis' first encyclical Lumen Fidei (mostly written by Benedict) and I've started to read Evangelii Gaudium three times, but never got past the 75% mark. I just can't explain it. I think Benedict XVI is a fantastic writer and not only do I enjoy his books, I very much enjoy reading the documents that he put out as head of the CDF. But the encyclicals seem dull and formal and I generally feel undereducated while reading them.
The other reason is more serious though. I don't think I should really be reading papal encyclicals. Perhaps the principle of subsidiarity applies to the economic discussions in Francis' latest text, but honestly I'd like to see some subsidiarity in the dissemination of the text. I am wholeheartedly in favor of Pope Francis (or any Pope) publishing whatever he thinks is necessary for the benefit of souls today. And if he were to ask I'd gladly give him money to run the printing press. However, I'd prefer to hear some of that from my bishop and pastor.
I don't want to go Congregationalist on anyone, but I have a goofy idea that the hierarchical structure of Church means that my primary source of moral guidance should come from my pastor, who understands the needs of his parish because he sits in a confessional for 2 hours every Saturday listening to his parishioners detail what's wrong in their lives. And I would think that there's a two-way dialog between my pastor and my bishop so the Bishop knows what's going on. Not about the details of confession, but in general terms of what issues are causing the most pain in this geographic area at this specific time. I basically expect the bishop to read the Pope's letter and, understanding the issues that affect his diocese, to work with his priests to convey the message that is most applicable in a way that their parishioners can put into use. We don't need to hear too much about the dangers of coal mining in Dallas, for example. We do need to hear about environmental and quality-of-life issues due to all the traffic down here.
Very simply, if I can go straight to the Pope, what do I need a pastor and bishop for? The next time the bishop asks for money, I'll just send a check to Francis since he's doing all the heavy lifting. (As an aside I should note the fact that news reports of the encyclical say Francis complains about too much air conditioning. My parish is currently raising money to replace the air conditioners. If they cancel that project there likely will be a drop in donations.)
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