The California state Senate approved a resolution praising Pope Francis’ climate encyclical and calling for politicians to get behind stewardship of the environment.
The resolution was adopted before the two-day Vatican meeting July 21 and 22 with 60 city mayors from around the world. California Governor Jerry Brown took a copy of resolution SR 37 with him to the Vatican.
The near unanimous resolution says that California state leaders should “consider the implications of the papal encyclical and climate change in their policy and fiscal actions to prevent further environmental degradation.”
Senate leader Kevin de León said, “we have a moral obligation to do much more” to protect the environment.
Before the vote, however, there was “some debate over the proper relationship between secular lawmaking and religious guidance.” Sen. Jim Nielsen called the resolution “a classic example of mixing church and state.” De León said, “Of course we, as a Legislature, don’t defer any authority to the Holy See,” he said.
While the church does not necessarily seek direct control over lawmakers, the papacy does seek to influence them and politicians as much as possible. Papal pressure or populism can influence political and legislative counsels to take actions that align them with papal policy.
“But today in the religious world there are multitudes who, as they believe, are working for the establishment of the kingdom of Christ as an earthly and temporal dominion. They desire to make our Lord the ruler of the kingdoms of this world, the ruler in its courts and camps, its legislative halls, its palaces and market places. They expect Him to rule through legal enactments, enforced by human authority. Since Christ is not now here in person, they themselves will undertake to act in His stead, to execute the laws of His kingdom.” Desire of Ages, page 509
Papal “doctrines are exerting their influence in legislative halls, in the churches, and in the hearts of men.” The Great Controversy, page 581