8.174. Francis said that “creation… will be our final judge.” Isn’t he just encouraging us to care for the environment?
In his encyclical Laudato Si’ (May 2015), Francis wrote:
“We must protect creation, because if we destroy it, creation will in some way take its revenge on us. Creation is not a possession we can lord over, even less is it the property of only some… When we mistreat nature, we also mistreat human beings. Creation is a gift, a gift from God… and it will be our final judge.”
At first glance, this may sound like passionate concern for the planet. But in reality, this statement is deeply scandalous and theologically false. It reflects the pantheistic and humanistic worldview that Vatican II and Francis have promoted—a worldview that replaces divine revelation with ecological ideology, and elevates “Mother Earth” as judge, rather than Christ the King.
Catholic teaching is clear:
“It is appointed unto men once to die, and after this the judgment.”
“The Father has given all judgment to the Son.”
No part of creation will ever judge man—only God will. To suggest otherwise is to blur the distinction between creature and Creator, and to flirt with pagan environmental religion, where “Gaia” or “Mother Earth” demands balance and revenge.
Francis’s statement reflects the new Vatican II religion: man must “accompany” others, preserve the earth, and strive for planetary harmony—while remaining silent about mortal sin, Hell, judgment, and the need for grace.
| Category | Traditional Catholic Teaching | Francis / Laudato Si’ View | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Final Judgment | Christ will judge each soul after death and at the Last Day | “Creation will be our final judge” (Laudato Si’ §38) | Replaces the divine Judge with a created thing; blasphemous and pagan |
| Source of Moral Law | God’s eternal law revealed in Scripture and Tradition | Ecological impact becomes primary moral standard | Substitutes climate concerns for sin and salvation |
| Salvation | Only through Christ, by grace, faith, and the sacraments | “Ecological conversion” proposed as a moral necessity | This is naturalism, not supernatural redemption |
| Role of Creation | A gift from God to be stewarded, not worshipped | Creation personified as judge and avenger | Echoes pagan earth cults (e.g., Gaia spirituality) |
| Emphasis on Sin | Primarily offenses against God’s law (e.g., heresy, impurity) | Environmental “sins” prioritized over moral or doctrinal ones | Mortal sin minimized; climate guilt elevated |
| Fruits | Fear of God, conversion, confession, eternal judgment | Fear of environmental catastrophe, activism, climate anxiety | “By their fruits you shall know them” (Matt. 7:16) |
Summary:
When Francis claims that “creation will be our final judge,” he is not expressing poetic reverence—he is preaching a false gospel. In place of Christ the King and divine judgment, he offers Mother Earth as avenger, a concept rooted in pagan pantheism, not in Catholic theology.
This statement reflects the core shift of the Vatican II religion: from supernatural salvation through Christ to naturalistic activism focused on ecology, inclusion, and worldly harmony. The true Catholic Faith teaches us to fear God, confess our sins, and prepare for judgment by our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ—not by the weather, the climate, or the planet.
Let us reject the ecological pseudo-religion of Laudato Si’ and remain faithful to the unchanging Gospel of Christ:
“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ.”