5 things about Pope Francis' encyclical on the environment the media probably won't tell you

Are you under the impression that Francis is breaking with Catholic tradition? Let us correct the record...

Pope Francis
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Everybody's excited about Pope Francis' new encyclical on the environment, Laudato Si' (don't forget the apostrophe!), whose title comes from Saint Francis of Assisi's famous Canticle of the Sun.

They're excited because, well, it is exciting to see the pope take a strong stand in favor of the environment. But maybe it's also because the encyclical seems to confirm a media narrative (which Francis is savvily exploiting) of Francis as the cool, progressive pope, in stark contrast to his mean, reactionary predecessors.

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Pascal-Emmanuel Gobry

Pascal-Emmanuel Gobry is a writer and fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center. His writing has appeared at Forbes, The Atlantic, First Things, Commentary Magazine, The Daily Beast, The Federalist, Quartz, and other places. He lives in Paris with his beloved wife and daughter.