Pope Francis Goes Large

++The Dalai Lama has been one of religion's biggest supporters of science even saying that if science disproves something in Buddhism he would change the teaching. He holds a cross-disciplinary seminar every year to be briefed on the most far-reaching discoveries in the science community.

++While we remember Catholicism's treatment of Galileo,The Vatican has long since changed its views on science and even has a very sophisticated observatory and a Vatican official astronomer.

++Pope Francis seems to be taking this further. He will be issuing a papal encyclical next year on Climate Change and the environment to lead up to the climate change talks in Paris on December 2015. The document will be 50-60 pages long and such a document with doctrinal meaning is rare.

++Pope Francis previously spoke out on the issue during the Days for Climate Action, organized in part by 350.org, the global non-profit "movement" spearheaded by Bill McKibben. 

++Pope Francis anticipated actions have been met by resistance within the Vatican, where conservatives claim the science is not settled. And he has met antagonism by American evangelicals who claim the American environmental movement is "unbiblical".

++Pope Francis has already ruffled American conservatives' feathers by his assault on the inequities in today's capitalist system.

++Last week the Vatican released its "Inquisition" of the American nuns,whom it suspected of being feminist,politically active and tampering with tradition. The investigation has been feared by the American nuns because it was instigated by Pope Benedict and the very conservative hierarchy. 

++The results ended up lauding the nuns' charity work and praised their active concern in humanitarian matters. The tone was night and day from what was expected. That is because the study quotes Pope Francis extensively on his doctrine of openness and inclusiveness and rejected Benedict's authoritarianism.

++The Pope has sent many of those in charge of the Vatican treasury packing called on the Vatican staff to clean up their act. 

++With the GOP in charge of the American Congress, Pope Francis' declaration on Climate Change should shake up the place. Are liberals going to insist that conservatives be denied communion if they are climate change deniers? Just as conservatives demand the same of pro-choice Catholics or the divorced.