A Criação inteira geme em dores de parto: desenvolvimento e natureza nas cartas encíclicas e apostólicas papais (1967-2015)

Abstract

The article deals with the perceptions about development and nature/environment present in the encyclical and apostolic letters published by the popes of the Catholic Church since 1967, when the environmental theme first appeared in these publications, until 2015, when the encyclical Laudato Si was published, the first entirely devoted to environmental issues. The goal is to observe how environmental discussions have been inserted into Church documents and how much space is devoted to them. Moreover, we try to understand how the conception of development and nature changed from a strictly anthropocentric notion, following the Judeo-Christian tradition, to the proposal of an integral ecology made by Pope Francis. We conclude that, from a reinterpretation of the Christian narrative of Creation, the Catholic Church has endeavored to replace the vision of absolute mastery over the things created by a human responsibility to them, whose tasks are to care for and guard them.