directive speech act analysis on the ...laudato si ’ of the holy father francis on care for our...

DIRECTIVE SPEECH ACT ANALYSIS ON THE ENCYCLICAL LETTER

LAUDATO SI’ OF THE HOLY FATHER FRANCIS ON CARE FOR OUR

COMMON HOME

A THESIS

Presented as a Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements

to Obtain the Magister Humaniora (M.Hum) Degree

In English Language Studies

by

Maxymilianus Soter Mite Kombong

Student number: 156332028

THE GRADUATE PROGRAM OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE STUDIES

SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY

YOGYAKARTA

2017

PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

i



COMMON HOME

A THESIS

Presented as a Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements

to Obtain the Magister Humaniora (M.Hum) Degree

In English Language Studies

by


Student number: 156332028

THE GRADUATE PROGRAM OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE STUDIES

SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY

YOGYAKARTA

2017


A THESIS

DIRECTIVE SPEECH ACT ANALYSIS ON "TIJE ENCYCLICAL LETTERLAADATO SI' OF THE HOLY FATHER FRANCIS ON CARE FOR OAR

COMMON HOME

by


156332028

Approved by

Yogyakart a, 14 July 2017

Thesis Advisor

fA {br,/(Dr. B.B. Dwiiatmoko.M.A.


A THESIS

DIRECTIVESSPEECHACTANALYSISoNTLf.,ENCYCLICALLETTERI,,,IUDATO SI, OF THE HOLY FATHER FMNCIS ON CARE FOR OUR

COMMON HOME

Presented bY

Maxymilianus Sotei Mite Kombong

Student Number: 156332028

Defended before the Thesis Committeeand Declared AccePtable

THESIS COMMITTEE

Chairperson : Dr. J. Bismoko h*\fb fb,-,f

Secretary

Members

: Dr. B.B. Dwijatmoko, M.A

: 1. Dr. Fr.B. AliP, M.Pd, M.A

2.Dr. E. Sunarto, M.Hum

11r

Yogyakarta, 24 JttlY 20 17


STATEMENTS OF WORK'S ORIGINALITY

This is to certifi that all ideas, phrases, sentences, unless otherwise stated, are the

ideas, phrases and sentences of the thesis writer. The writer understands the full

consequences including degree cancellation if he took somebody else's ideas,

phrases and sentences without proper references.

Yogyakarta, 14 July 20t7


lv


LEMBAR PER}IYATAAN PERSETUJUAN

PUBLIKASI KARYA ILMIAH UNTUK KEPENTINGAN AKADEMIS

Yang bertandatangan di bawah ini, saya mahasiswa Universitas Sanata Dharma:

NAMA

NIM

: Maxymilianus Soter Mite Kombong

:15632028

Demi pengembangan ilmu pengetahuan, memberikan kepada Perpustakaan

Univeristas Sanata Dharma karya ilmiah saya yang berjudul:

Directive Speech Act Analysis on the Encyclical Letter Laudato Si ' of the Holy

Father Francis on Care for Our Common Home

beserta peragkat yang diperlukan (bila ada). Dengan demikian, saya memberikan

kepada Perpustakaan Universitas Sanata Dharma hak untuk menyimpan,

mengalihkan dalam bentuk media lain, mengelolanya dalam bentuk pangkalan

data, mendistribusikannya di internet atau media lain untuk kepentingan akademis

tanpa perlu meminta ijin maupun memberikan royalty kepada saya selama tetap

mencntumkan nama saya sebagai penulis.

Demikian pernyataan ini saya buat dengan sebenarnya.

Dibuat di Yogyakarta

Pada tanggal 14 JuJi20l7

iunus So\"r Mite Kombong


vi

ACKOWLEDGEMENTS

Praise to the Lord, the Almighty Father, Son and Holy Spirit with all my

deepest thanks for the grace, health, knowledge, oppurtinity and spirit in

completing this thesis. My deepest praise goes also to Holy Mary Mother of God

for the miraculous appearances in my life.

My deepest gratitude is addressed for my thesis advisor, Dr. B.B.

Dwijatmoko, M.A for his advices, supports, and compassions. Great thanks also

go to Dr. J. Bismoko and Dr. E. Sunarto, M.Hum as my thesis reviewers and Dr.

Fr. B. Alip, M.Pd, M.A as the thesis examiner, for the great inputs and

suggestions.

I dedicate this thesis for my beloved family, Daniel Mite, S.Pd and

Adriana Paranda, S.Ag and my brothers and sister. Their loves contribute greatly

in completing my thesis. I thank for the supports, motivations and

encouragements.

Many thanks are also addressed to all lectures and staffs of Magister

Program English Language Studies Sanata Dharma. I thank also to my friends,

Magister Program ELS batch 2015 for this 2 years of friendship and togetherness.

My deepest gratitude is addressed also to my friends, Kombongan

Pascatorayaindejogja, for the supports and friendship.



vii

MOTTO

NON SCHOLAE SED VITAE DISCIMUS

RELIGIO OMNIUM SCIENTIARUM ANIMA


viii

PAGE OF DEDICATION

I dedicate this thesis to my beloved family


ix

TABLE OF CONTENTS



COMMON HOME ................................................................................................... i

A THESIS ............................................................................................................... ii

DIRECTIVES SPEECH ACT ANALYSIS ON THE ENCYCLICAL LETTER


COMMON HOME ................................................................................................. iii

STATEMENTS OF WORK‟S ORIGINALITY .................................................... iv

LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN ....................................................... v

ACKOWLEDGEMENTS ...................................................................................... vi

MOTTO ................................................................................................................ vii

PAGE OF DEDICATION.................................................................................... viii

TABLE OF CONTENTS ....................................................................................... ix

ABSTRACT ........................................................................................................... xi

ABSTRAK ............................................................................................................ xii

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................ 1

1.1 Background of the Study ................................................................................... 1

1.2 Research Questions ........................................................................................... 7

1.3 Research Objectives .......................................................................................... 7

1.4 Research Benefits .............................................................................................. 9

CHAPTER 2 REVIEW OF LITERATURE ......................................................... 10

2.1 Review of Related Literature .......................................................................... 10

2.1.1 Pragmatics and Scope of Pragmatics .................................................... 10

2.1.2 Theory of Context ................................................................................. 13

2.1.3 Speech Acts Theory .............................................................................. 15

2.2.4 Directive Speech Acts ........................................................................... 18

2.2.5 Aspects of Modality in Directive Speech Acts ..................................... 21

2.1.6 Direct Speech Acts VS Indirect Speech Acts ....................................... 22

2.1.7 Language and Identity ........................................................................... 26

2.1.8 The Mind of Holy Father Francis ......................................................... 28


x

2.2 Review of Related Studies .............................................................................. 29

2.3 Theoretical Framework ................................................................................... 32

CHAPTER 3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ................................................... 34

3.1 Type of Study .................................................................................................. 34

3.2 Object of the Study .......................................................................................... 34

3.3 Data Analysis .................................................................................................. 35

CHAPTER 4 RESULT AND DISCUSSION ....................................................... 38

4.1 The Context of the Letter ................................................................................ 38

4.2. The Proportion of Directives Speech Acts ..................................................... 41

4.2.1 The Proportion of Direct Directives Speech Acts ................................. 42

4.2.2 The Proportion of Indirect Directive Speech Acts ................................ 49

4.3 The Delivery of Directive Speech Acts ........................................................... 60

4.3.1 Characteristics of Direct Directives Speech Acts ................................. 61

4.3.1.1 Characteristics of Direct Requests ................................................ 61

4.3.1.2 Characteristics of Direct Suggestions ........................................... 63

4.3.2 Characteristics of Indirect Speech Acts ................................................ 65

4.3.2.1 Characteristics of Indirect Commands .......................................... 65

4.3.2.2 Characteristics of Indirect Requests .............................................. 66

4.3.2.3 Characteristics of Indirect Suggestions ......................................... 69

4.4 Personalities of Pope Francis .......................................................................... 74

CHAPTER 5 CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION ........................................... 82

5.1 Conclusion ....................................................................................................... 82

5.2 Suggestion ....................................................................................................... 87

References ............................................................................................................. 89

Appendices ............................................................................................................ 92


xi

ABSTRACT

Mite-Kombong, Maxymilianus Soter. 2017. Directives Speech Act Analysis on the

Encyclical Letter Laudato Si’ of the Holy Father Francis on Care for Our

Common Home. Yogyakarta: Graduate Program on English Language Studies,

Sanata Dharma University.

Language as a tool of communication is used for many purposes such as to

persuade people to do something, to share beliefs or knowledge to others, asking

people to do something and many other purposes. The kinds of utterances that

people utter can be classified based on the form or the purpose of the utterance.

Dealing with this kind of utterances, we are talking about speech acts.

This research is a pragmatic analysis by focusing on directives speech act.

This research aims to draw the propotion of directive speech acts in the letter. This

study also aims to describe the characteristics of directive speech acts in the

Encyclical Letter Laudato Si’. The third aim is to explain what personal

characteristics of Pope Francis are reflected through the directive speech acts. The

data are obtained from the the Encyclical Letter Laudato Si’ on Care for Our

Common Home. This letter mainly talks about environmental problems that are

going on in this planet.

The main theory of Speech Act that is used in this research is proposed by

Kreidler (1998). The classification of directives speech acts into the three kinds

which are directives as commands, requests, and suggestions are taken as the main

division of the directives found in the Encyclical Letter. These directives can be

directly or indirectly implied in the Encyclical Letter which is recognized as direct

directives and indirect directives. The theory of language and identity is also used

to explain the personal characteristics of Pope Francis.

The result shows that the proportion of direct and indirect directives in the

Encyclical Letter Laudato Si’ is different where 13 occurences for direct and 110

for indirect occurances. The analysis of directive speech acts in the letter shows

that direct requests and suggestions have the similar characteristics. They are

characterized by the presence of the first singular pronoun, followed by the

illocutionary verbs that indicate these directives. The direct requests are also

characterized by the use of formal form let us. The indirect directives are mostly

presented in declarative sentences or assertive speech acts. Politeness markers also

become the characteristics of indirect directive speech acts. Moreover, the

personal characters of Pope Francis are reflected in directive speech acts. His

loving kindness, openness, humbleness in leadership, credibility and degree of

politeness are reflected in the directive speech acts.

Key words: Pragmatics, Speech Acts, Directives, The Encyclical Letter.


xii

ABSTRAK

Mite-Kombong, Maxymilianus Soter. 2017. Directives Speech Act Analysis on the


Common Home. Yogyakarta. Program Pasca-Sarjana Kajian Bahasa Inggris,

Universitas Sanata Dharma.

Bahasa sebagai alat komunikasi digunakan untuk beragam tujuan seperti

mempengaruhi orang untuk melakukan sesuatu, membagikan keyakinan atau

pengetahuan kepada orang lain, memberi perintah kepada orang lain untuk

melakukan tindakan, dan lain sebagainya. Jenis-jenis ujaran yang diujarkan oleh

orang dapat diklasifikasikan berdasarkan bentuk atau tujuannya. Berkaitan dengan

hal ini, kita sedang berbicara tentang speech acts.

Penelitian ini adalah penelitian pragmatik dengan berfokus pada directives

speech acts. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menggambarkan proporsi instruksi-

instruksi yang terdapat dalam surat ensiklik Laudato Si’. Penelitian ini juga

bertujuan untuk mendeskripsikan karakteristik directive speech acts dalam surat

ensiklik Laudato Si’. Tujuan ketiga adalah untuk menjelaskan bagaimana

karakteristik pribadi Paus Fransiskus tercermin melalui instruksi-instruksinya.

Data diperoleh dari surat Ensiklik Laudato Si’ tentang perawatan rumah kita

bersama. Surat ini berbicara tentang masalah lingkungan yang terjadi di planet ini.

Teori utama tentang speech acts yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini

adalah teori yang diperkenalkan oleh Kreidler (1998). Pengklasifikasian directives

speech acts kedalam tiga kategori yakni instruksi sebagai perintah, ajakan dan

anjuran merupakan kategori utama dari instruksi-instruksi yang ditemukan dalam

surat ensiklik tersebut. Instruksi-instruksi tersebut dapat secara langsung maupun

tidak langsung dicantumkan dalam surat yang kemudian dikenal sebagai instruksi

langsung dan instruksi tidak langsung. Teori bahasa dan identitas juga digunakan

untuk menjelaskan karakteristik pribadi Paus Fransiskus.

Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa proporsi dari ujaran langsung dan

tidak langsung dalam surat Ensiklik Laudato Si’ berbeda dimana terdapat 13

instruksi langsung dan 110 instruksi tidak langsung. Analisis instruksi-instruksi

dalam surat tersebut menunjukkan bahwa ajakan dan anjuran langsung memiliki

karakteristik yang sama. Mereka dicirikan dengan penggunaan orang pertama

tunggal saya yang diikuti dengan kata-kata kerja yang mengindikasikan kedua

jenis instruksi ini. Ajakan langsung juga dicirikan dengan penggunaan formal

mari. Anjuran-anjuran tidak langsung banyak disamapaikan dalam bentuk

pernyataan atau assertive. Penanda kesopanan juga menjadi karakteristik dari

anjuran-anjuran tidak langsung. Selanjutnya, karakteristik pribadi Paus Fransiskus

direfleksikan dalam anjuran-anjurannya. Kelemahlembutan, keterbukaan,

kerendahan hati dalam kepemimpinan, kredibilitas dan tingkat kesopanannya

tercermin dalam anjuran-anjurannya

Kata kunci: Pragmatik, Speech Acts, Directives, Surat Ensiklik.


1

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

This chapter concerns the background features that determine the research.

It also covers the questions and the objectives of the research. Along with these,

the chapter also explains the benefits of the research.

1.1 Background of the Study

Language becomes a very major tool of communication in society. People

interact to others by using the language. They share opinions, minds, beliefs,

thoughts, feelings, ideas, suggestions and many other things in the society through

the language. A success communication happens when there is an equal line

between speaker‟s/writer‟s intention and listener‟s/reader‟s comprehension, thus

misunderstanding may be avoided. To be in this success communication, the

speaker/writer needs to be aware on how he/she delivers the ideas or messages

through language whether directly or indirectly, explicitly or implicitly, and so on.

It may be easier to communicate successfully when the speaker and the addressee

directly face to face in a communicative situation such as conversation. It is due to

the communicative participants have more chances to clarify or to ask for detail

explanations of the topic that is being discussed in the conversation. Conversely, it

is more difficult to clarify something that is not really comprehensible when the

communication is in the written form. It may be caused by there may not be direct

face to face interaction between the writer and the reader.


2

Halliday and Hassan (1976) describe that a text can be spoken or written.

The spoken form can be a conversation, an everyday talk, a lecturing in a

classroom, a live football match commentary, and so on. The written form can be

a script of a speech, books, paragraphs, advertisements in newspaper, etc. The

choice of these forms of texts may be determined by many surrounding

circumstances such as the purpose of communication, the form of communication

whether it is formal or informal, the relevant situations, the number of

participants, and many other aspects determining the choice of communicative

forms. Whatever the form is, the success communication, the same understanding

between the participants involved, is the main point when people turn into

communication.

One of the common topics that has been being discussed in many forums

and becomes the main concern of this research is the ecological issue. This issue

becomes urgent to be discussed over the years. Many people talk about this issue.

Individuals, governments, organizations, The United Nations, ecological activists,

educational practitioners, literary critics, and indeed religious organization talk

about it. Gul and Sozbilir (2015) on their research report that the most frequently

topic that discussed in Biology Education Research from 1997 to 2014 is the

environmental and ecological issue.

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) 2016 (cited from

http://web.unep.org/unea) reports that environmental impacts responsible for

almost one quarter of all deaths, especially premature death. It is reported that air

pollution kills 7 million people across the world each year. Of these, 4.3 million


http://web.unep.org/unea

3

are down to household air pollution particularly among women and young

children in developing countries. Limited access to clean water and sanitation

causes 42,000 people dying from diarrhoeal diseases every year where 97 per cent

of which in developing countries. Diarrhoeal diseases are the 3rd

leading cause of

deaths of children younger than 5, representing 20 per cent of all deaths in

children under five years. For chemical exposure, some 107,000 people die

annually from exposure to asbestos, and 654,000 died from exposure to lead in

2010. Since the first UN Climate Change Conference in 1995, 606,000 lives have

been lost and 4.1 billion people have been injured, left homeless or in need of

emergency assistance as a result of weather-related disasters.

Global warming, environmental degradation, pollution, climate change,

the issue of water, the loss of biodiversity, and many other problems cannot be

waiting in turn to be discussed. There are many examples of the ecological issue

happened around the world. In Southeast Asia, as UNEP reports, the average area

deforested annually is more than 1 million hectares, resulting in the release of

hundreds of millions of tonnes of carbon dioxide every year between 2005 and

2015. The proportion of the population served with clean water is increasing and

grew from 64 per cent in 2005 to 68 per cent in 2012, although absolute numbers

of people without safe drinking water remain high. More than half of the

population in sub-Saharan Africa still does not have any access to improved

sanitation, compared to 90 per cent coverage in North Africa, with a vast

difference between urban and rural areas.


4

This research takes a text written by the Roman Catholic Pontiff Francis,

the leader of religious organization, which is Catholic Roman Church. The text is

an encyclical letter on ecological matters. The English official name of this text is

“Encyclical Letter Laudato Si’ of the Holy Father Francis on Care for Our

Common Home”. This letter concerns the ecological problems happened in the

earth. According to Theological Dictionary (edited by Cornelius Ernst: 1965), the

encyclical, by its name, literally means “a circular letter”. It is written by Pope to

bishops and the members of the Catholic Roman Church, and even for everyone,

people of good will. This letter is not a dogmatic definition, as Ernst (1965)

explains that “. . . An encyclical as such is a pronouncement of ordinary

magisterium, but not in itself a new dogmatic definition by the extraordinary or

the ordinary magisterium”. Ernst (1965) also describes that “The Pope can indeed

make use of encyclical to pronounce final judgment on matters still controverted”.

Zängle (2014: 331) says that “Apparently, encyclicals are authored by the

pope. But they are nevertheless the results of processes of - sometimes conflictual

- co-operation within Roman Curia and beyond”. It means that we cannot see the

encyclicals “from papal documentations to popes as individuals” (Zängle, 2014:

331). The Pope works together with the Roman Curia, the complex of

departments and institutes which assist the Roman Pontiff in the exercise of his

supreme pastoral function for the good and service of the universal Church and of

the particular churches, by which the unity of faith and communion of the people

of God is strengthened and the mission is promoted which is proper to the Church

in the world (Hierarchy of the Catholic Church, cited from Vatican.va).


5

The encyclical letter Laudato Si’ was published on June 18th

2015 at the

same time into eight different languages such as Italian, German, English,

Spanish, French, Polish, Portuguese, and Arabic. In summary, this encyclical

letter concerns the ecological issues such as pollution, climate change, the issue of

water, the loss of biodiversity, and the role of human as the creation of God. The

Holy Father Francis speaks through this letter to all members of the Catholic

Roman Church and those who have care on ecological problems. We can say that

this letter is inclusive because every human in the earth face the same problems.

Through this letter, Pope Francis invites us to do something related to the

ecological problems. By this letter, he communicates, declares, suggests, and

shares his thoughts.

This Encyclical Letter Laudato Si’ is the second encyclical authored by

Pope Francis after Lumen Fidei. However, Lumen Fidei was largely the work of

Pope Francis‟s predecessor, Benedict XVI. Generally, Laudato Si’ is viewed as

the first encyclical authored entirely by Pope Francis. The Encyclical Letter

Laudato Si’ authored by Pope Francis has contributed in many approaches to the

ecological and environmental problems. The United Nations Environmental

Program (UNEP) after visited by Pope Francis in 2015 appreciated this letter. The

message of Laudato Si’ was welcomed by UNEP. This letter also is appreciated

by other religious leaders, the world leaders, scientifical communities, and so on.

It is because of the topic discussed in Laudato Si’ which globally spoken.

Furthermore, the personality of Pope Francis as the author of this letter also

attracts people to read this encyclical.


6

The Encyclical Letter Laudato Si’ also has influence to other fields such as

civic studies. Boyte (2016) in his article states that the encyclical emphasizes

cultural ways of thinking and acting, norms, settings, and practices through which

citizens develop civic agency, capacities for self-organizing work across

differences to solve common problems, create common resources, and create a

common life. It seems that Laudato Si’ contains Pope Francis‟s thought of what

should be done dealing with the ecological and environmental problems happened

in the world. Since directive speech act refers to what speaker wants the hearer to

do or refrain from doing, it is interesting to see what Pope Francis offers in

Laudato Si’.

The study on papal documentation so far was conducted from the

theological point of view such as Gorospe (1988) who studied the Encyclical

Letter Sollicitudo Rei Socialis (1997) which was written by Pope John Paul II.

The recent study on Encyclical Letter was also conducted straightly from the topic

of the papal documentation itself such as Mele and Naughton (2011) and Vaccaro

and Sison (2011) and Goodpaster (2011) who explored the Encyclical Letter

Caritas in Veritate (2009) which was written by Pope Benedict XVI from the

ethical business point of view.

Rather than understanding the Encyclical Letter from the point of

theological view or straightly from the ecological point of view due to the topic of

the letter is ecology, the researcher prefers to comprehend it from the linguistic

point of view. The researcher tries to analyze this text by the pragmatic

consideration in order to understand what and how Pope Francis implies his


7

message, commands, suggestions or offers in this discourse. This deals with the

directive speech act found in the text by means of pragmatic views.

This research takes “the encyclical letter Laudato Si’ of the Holy Father

Francis on Care for Our Common Home” by focusing on the speech acts

especially directive speech acts. Directives in this sense are like imperative

sentences. Directives concern with the form of utterances used by the

speaker/writer for asking someone to do something.

1.2 Research Questions

The questions to be answered in this research are formulated as follows:

1. What is the proportion of directive speech acts in the Encyclical Letter

Laudato Si’ on Care for Our Common Home?

2. How are the directive speech acts delivered in the Encyclical Letter

Laudato Si’ on Care for Our Common Home?

3. What personal characters of Pope Francis are reflected through the

directive speech acts in the Encyclical Letter Laudato Si’ on Care for Our

Common Home?

1.3 Research Objectives

Directive speech acts refer to the utterances whose purpose to persuade the

readers to do or refrain from doing things. By this encyclical letter Laudato Si’,

Pope Francis wants the readers to do something right related to the ecological

problems. This letter is guidance what we actually can do dealing with the


8

ecological and environmental issues. The first objective of this research is to

describe the proposition of directive speech acts in the Encyclical Letter Laudato

Si’ on Care for Our Common Home. It is important to see the proposition of the

directives to since the number of direct and indirect directives significant for the

finding of this research.

The second objective of this research is to describe how the directives

speech acts are delivered in the encyclical letter Laudato Si’. It covers the

linguistics features which become the characteristics of the directive speech acts

such as the forms of utterances, the use of linguistics devices and so on. It is the

matter of whether he directly commands, requests, or suggests the readers or by

using some specific language features to make them well acceptable. In this

concern, the researcher identifies the imperative moods that used by Pope Francis

in delivering his directives both in direct and indirect directives. The researcher

also focuses on the strategy that is used by Pope Francis in delivering his

directives. It is the matter of the politeness strategy. In brief, this research is to

demonstrate the characteristics of directives utterances identified in this research.

Because of his position as the leader of religious organization, Pope

Francis has a power to command, suggest or offer something to the members of

the church. The last objective is to describe what personal characters of Pope

Francis are reflected through the directive speech acts in the Encyclical Letter

Laudato Si’. In this concern, the relationship between language and the context

(the speaker) is seen from the social dimension.


9

1.4 Research Benefits

By understanding pragmatics, we can understand the nature of language

itself. Pragmatics helps us to understand how the speaker/writer uses language to

convey meaning. The construction of an utterance/sentence in a text is varied

depends on the purpose of the construction itself as well as the role of context/

situation of the speech communication. It deals with the analysis of speech acts.

By doing this, we can understand what and how speaker/writer is trying to say and

what the effects the speaker wants the hearers get. By doing this directive speech

act analysis on the Encyclical Letter Laudato Si’, it will be benefit to extract this

document based on the directive function as the theory of speech acts proposed.

The Encyclical Letter Laudato Si’ deals with the ecological problems that

are happened in this world. Pope Francis as the Roman Pontiff, the leader of

Catholic Roman Church, speaks to all members of the church and for people of

good will who cares the ecological issue about what we should do toward this

phenomenon. This research is hopefully to be useful information for everybody

who has concern to the ecological problems. This research is also expected to be

useful guidance for those who interest in pragmatic analysis. Mostly, this research

is expected to be useful guidance for the next researcher who interest in this

Encyclical Letter Laudato Si’. This research is expected to be useful information

for the next researcher since this research provides the Holy Father Francis‟

directives from the linguistics point of view which means can be the basic

information in exploring this Laudato Si’.


10

CHAPTER 2

LITERATURE REVIEW

This chapter concerns with the theoretical elements that used to answer the

research questions. This chapter also contains the previous study related to the

topic of the research and the theoretical framework.

2.1 Review of Related Literature

2.1.1 Pragmatics and Scope of Pragmatics

Language mostly understood as an instrument of communication which is

used by people in talking to each other, transferring ideas, sharing opinions,

explaining things, and so on. In using language, the participants of language use,

speaker-listener or writer-reader, should work together in order to make the

communication success. All the participants play their role together which Clark

(1996) called “ensembles”.

Language use, therefore, embodies both individual and social processes.

Speakers and listeners, writers and readers, must carry out actions as

individuals if they are to succeed in their use of language. But they must

also work together as participants in the social units I have called

ensembles (1996: 3-4).

So, how the participants of the language use are able to make a success

communication depends on many aspects during the communication event such as

how the speakers or the writers develop and convey their ideas through language,

what they think their listeners or readers already know, how the listeners or

readers understand the context of communication, how the attitude of the


11

participants in communication event, and many others. Simply it said that how the

participants of communication use the language. Dealing with how language is

used is the concern of pragmatics.

Leech (1983: 1) explains that “we cannot really understand the nature of

language itself unless we understand pragmatics: how language is used in

communication”. It is clear enough that pragmatics deals with how the

participants of communication, the speakers-listeners or the writers-readers, use

language. Pragmatics as the field of linguistics is necessary in order to explain the

nature of language itself as the tool of communication.

In using language, the speakers or the writers may have motives or

intentions in their mind which become the bases of what they are saying or

writing. Pragmatics also deals with the background features of the communication

events. Cutting (2002) describes that pragmatics is an approach to studying

language‟s relation to the contextual background features. Here in this opinion,

the context of language use which determined the use of language itself should be

taken place when we are talking about pragmatics. The details of context will be

talked later in this chapter.

Since pragmatics deals with the context of language use, it is not enough

to understand the language use on what it is literally written or spoken by the

participants. Mey (2001:6) says that “a truly pragmatic consideration has to deal

with the users in their social context; it cannot limit itself to the grammatically

encoded aspects of contexts, as the „grammaticalization requirement‟ seems to

imply”. It may be caused by the realization of language use in everyday life


12

cannot understood only by paying attention to the grammatical aspect of an

utterance. Sometimes, the meaning of what is literally stated is different with what

it actually is.

The researcher concludes that dealing with pragmatics, it is important to

understand how the participants of the communication use language by giving

attention to what the speakers or the writers‟ intention which determined them to

use language. The role of context is also an important part in pragmatics. By

understanding pragmatics, it may help us to explain why the utterance is spoken

or written as it is. Dealing with pragmatics means that we need to recognize the

speech situation. So, understanding the language does not only limit on the

structure or grammatical aspects, but we need to recognize the situation of the

speech event. It may be who the speakers or the writers are, who the listeners or

the readers are, setting of speech event, the purpose of speech events, the kinds of

the communication event, and so on.

Pragmatics studies some topics on language use such as implicature,

presupposition, deixis, politeness, speech act and so on. Implicature is a

component of speaker meaning that being absence in the speaker‟s utterance

(Horn and Ward, 2006). Implicature is needed to be understood since what is

literally said or uttered by the speaker in some circumstances is different with the

meaning implied. The propositions that are presented in sentences as things that

are to be “taken for granted” are called presuppositions (Stenning, et al, 2006).

This concerns some features of linguistics that is taken by the speaker/writer by

presupposing the reader/listener has already known. Deixis is used to refer


13

something by pointing it. Politeness as an aspect of language use refers to the way

people use language acceptably by society.

2.1.2 Theory of Context

It is possible that an utterance has several meaning depending on specific

context because “meaning varies from context to context” (Leech, 1983:2).

Pragmatics takes the context of speech situation as the one of the basic parts that

underlines how we understand the speech communication.

Van Dijk (2014:22) explains that all discourse, language in use, is

produced and understood in specific communicative situation. What the speakers

or the writers utter may be treated as the truth by some group of people, but for

the others it may be not.

More generally, discourses are more or less pragmatically appropriate in

each communicative situation, as defined by the parameter of that

situation, such as the Setting, Participants (and their identity, role or

relationship), current social Action, Goals, and the share Knowledge

(Common Ground) of the participants (2014:22).

By this explanation above, what is true or false, acceptable or

unacceptable, about one discourse depends on the context. That may be why the

role of context in interpretation plays an important aspect. By defining the context

of a discourse, the participants of the speech communication pragmatically may

understand the discourse itself.

The concept of context according to Mey (2001:39) “is a dynamic, not a

static concept”. If the context is a dynamic, it will be clear that the meaning of the


14

discourse may be varies in different setting, time or participants. Mey (2001) also

explain the importance of the context in language use.

No matter how natural our language facilities or how convention-bound

their use, as language users, we always operate in contexts. Therefore, the

context looms large, and has to be taken into account whenever we

formulate our thoughts about language (42).

When we are talking or writing something to other people, it is very

important for us to realize with whom we are talking or writing to. For example

when we are talking or writing to our manager or someone who has higher

position than us in a company, we may use language more politely when we asks

permission to begin our presentation. One may say “allow me to begin my

presentation”, or the other may prefer to say “would you mind giving me a time to

speak here”, and so on. It may be different when we are talking to our children or

someone who younger than us. One may directly say “turn off the TV” when

he/she asks the children to go to bed at the night. These examples show that the

context underlined people to produce the use of language.

Surrounding speech situations underlies the use of language. Leech (1983)

mentions several aspects of speech situation. The first is addresser or addressee,

which are those who participate in the speech events. It signifies the relationship

between the speaker-hearer and writer-reader. The next is the context of an

utterance which deals with the basic knowledge shared by the speaker or writer

which contributes to the interpretation of the utterances. The following will be the

goal(s) of an utterance. It concerns with the function or the goal of the utterance

whether to inform or to persuade.


15

The setting of language use is taken into account to be important aspect.

Clark (1996) divides the setting of language use into two settings namely spoken

settings and written settings. The spoken settings may be conversational matter

while the written setting may be in forms of letters, newspapers, magazine, books,

novel, and so on. These division of settings need to be taken into account because

the form or setting of the language use can also underlies how the participants use

the language. For example in conversational matter, the participants may not

emphasize the grammatical correctness of the utterance when they talks to close

friends. The participants of the conversational matter may have free exchange of

turns like interrupting or confirming something they utter. The written settings

like informal letter or presidential speech text may emphasize the grammatical

aspects. Different newspapers may also use different way in deliver their message

even they talk about the same event. Personal and non-personal letters may use

different style in conveying message. The personal may use informal style and

formal for non-personal respectively.

2.1.3 Speech Acts Theory

Language as the tool of communication is used for many purpose such as

to persuade people to do something, to share beliefs to others, asking people to do

something, etc. The kinds of utterances that people utter can be classified based on

the form or the purpose of the utterance itself. Dealing with this kind of

utterances, we are talking about speech acts.


16

Dealing with speech acts, the three distinctions of speech acts (Austin,

1962) should be taken as the starting point. The term locutionary, illocucionary

and perlocutionary used by Austin (1962) to argue that language is a matter of

action. According to his opinion, language can be seen as subpart of philosophy of

action. According to this, people when produce or use language actually perform

some actions. It is supported by Cruse (2011) on his argument that in producing

utterances, we also perform particular kinds of action.

To communicate we must express propositions with a particular

illocutionary force, and in so doing we perform particular kinds of action

such as stating, promising, warning, and so on, which have come to be

called speech acts. It is, however, important to distinguish between three

sorts of things that one is doing in the course of producing an utterance.

These are usually distinguished by the terms locutionary acts,

perlocutionary acts, and illocutionary acts (363).

Yule (1996) explains that locutionary act is the basic acts of utterance by

means that the utterance is a linguistic expression. After producing an utterance,

we may hope that our utterance will have an effect to the listeners/readers. This is

the perlocutionary acts. The last is illocutionary acts. It deals with the purpose of

the utterance we utter. So, we produce utterance with the specific purpose such as

complaining, offering, suggesting, making statement, and many other

communicative purpose.

The illocutionary acts concern with the kinds of utterance in actual

communicative event and their purpose. Traditionally, we know that a

grammatical sentence can be in declarative, imperative or interrogative form.

Declarative sentence is used to make a statement, request for imperative, and ask

for interrogative respectively. These classifications of sentence are based on the


17

form of the sentences without concerning the actual context where the sentence is

uttered. The classifications in general used as the term syntactically addressed the

kinds of utterances. Searle and Vanderveken (1985:1) write that “whenever a

speaker utters a sentence in an appropriate context with certain intensions, he

performs one or more illocutionary acts”. The main point here is the intension. It

determines what action the speaker performs in uttering an utterance. In general,

illocutionary act consists of an illocutionary force and propositional content. The

illocutionary force is the intension of the speaker while the propositional content

is what the speaker utter in his/her utterances. For example the utterance You will

come to the party tonight and Come to the party tonight. In these examples, both

have the same propositional content, namely that you will come to the party but

they have different illocutionary force. The first has the illocutionary force of

prediction while another has the illocutionary force of request.

Kreidler (1998) mentions seven kinds of speech acts. The first is the

assertive which concerns with the facts. The function of the assertive is to tell

what the speakers or the writers know or believe. The purpose of the assertive is

to inform. This kind of utterance are either true or false, and can be verified or

falsified. The second is the performative that is speech acts that bring about the

state of affairs. The acts of performative can be blessings, firings, baptisms,

arrests, marrying, declaring a mistrial, etc. Kreidler (1998) explains that

performative utterances are valid if spoken by someone whose right to make them

is accepted and in circumstances which are accepted as appropriate. The verbs

include bet, declare, baptize, name, nominate, pronounce, etc. The next kind of


18

utterances is verdictive utterances. Verdictives are speech acts in which the

speaker makes an assessment or judgement about the acts of another, usually the

addressee. The next is expressive utterances. An expressive utterance springs from

the previous actions or failure to act of the speaker, or perhaps the present result

of those actions or failures. Expressive utterances are thus retrospective and

speaker-involved. The following will be commisive utterances that are speech acts

that commit a speaker to a course of action. These include promises, pledges,

threats and vows. Commissive verbs are illustrated by agree, ask, offer, refuse,

swear, all with following infinitives. They are prospective and concerned with the

speaker‟s commitment to future action. The next is phatic utterances whose

purpose to establish rapport between members of the same society. The last is

directive speech acts which become the main concern of this research. The details

of this directive speech acts will be discussed in the following section.

2.2.4 Directive Speech Acts

According to Kreidler (1998: 189) “directive utterances are those in which

the speaker tries to get the addressee to perform some act or refrain from

performing an act”. A directive utterance is also known as the imperative which

Curse (2011) says that the prototypical use of an imperative is to direct or to ask

addressee to do something. This utterance is addressed to the hearer or readers.

The examples of directives speech acts are as follows:

Close the door!

Open the window!


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Do not cross this line!

Submit your thesis at the end of July, 2017!

Commonly, the directives speech acts signaled by the use of exclamation mark

which is generally understood as the order to do something.

Collins in Aarts and McMahon (2006) explains the term imperative is used

to refer to the clause type of utterance while the term directive is used as the

technical term of speech acts. It is traditionally believed that clause type can be a

declarative, interrogative and imperative. The clause type of interrogative

addressed by the use of question mark and used to ask an answer to addressee.

While declarative may or may not be assessed as true or false, imperative cannot

be assessed as true or false. It is the matter of the compliance.

Kreidler (1998) states that the kinds of directives utterances can be

recognized: commands, requests, and suggestions. The commands are effective if

the speaker or the writer has a degree of control over the actions of the hearer or

reader. It means that the commands need the superiority or the authority of the

speaker/writer to command the addressee to do something. The examples of the

commands are as follows:

I (hereby) order you to appear in the meeting next Monday at 10 a.m.

You must appear in the meeting next Monday at 10 a.m.

I’m telling you not to do that.

Don’t do anything till I come.


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This kind of directives expects a high compliance of the addressee to do what the

speaker command or order. It is due to the high institutionalized superiority in

such circumstances.

A request is an expression of what the speaker wants the addressee to do

or refrain from doing. A request does not assume the speaker‟s controls over the

addressee. The examples of the request are as follows:

I appeal to you to help the committee.

I beg you in please to stay with us until the season is off.

The security asked the people not to park around the office.

The general meaning of the request is what Kreidler (1998: 191) writes “Speaker,

not in authority, expresses wish that Addressee <not> act as Speaker wants

Addressee <not> to act”. The request predicates may include appeal-to, ask, beg,

request, and so on. This kind of directive is close to the invitation. The context

here is that the speaker/writer has a wish on the hearer/reader to accept the

directive. Because there is no high institutionalized superiority here, the

compliance of directives is not necessary done by the hearer/reader.

“Suggestions are the utterances we make to other persons to give our

opinions as to what they should or should not do”(Kreidler, 1998: 191). The

examples are as follows:

I advise you to be more critical in thinking.

The committee warns us not to be late.

We suggest you to pay attention on the ecological problems.


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The general meaning of suggestions here is that the speaker expresses an opinion

about Addressee‟s choice of performance. Addressee is the suggestee, not

necessarily the addressee. In this suggestion, the addressee has choice to do or not

to do what the speaker/the writer suggests. The positive expressions can be advise

counsel recommend while the negative expressions may contain caution warn.

Keidler (1998:192) gives his conclusion on the kinds of directives which

also described the situational relationship between the participants of the speech

event.

Whether an utterance is or is not a directive, and if so what kind of

directive it is, depends in part on syntactic form, in part on choice of

predicates (must, demand, suggest...), and very much on the situation, the

participants, and their relative status. Felicity conditions include the

feasibility of the act and the ability of the addressee. For a command to be

felicitous the addressee must accept the speaker‟s authority; for a request,

the speaker‟s wishes, and for a suggestion, the speaker‟s judgement (192).

By this explanation, we can see that the role of context in speech act is very

prominent. These three distinctions of directives become the main focus of this

research. In addition, the question whether an utterance is a directive or not can

also be answered by looking at the syntactic form in part of the use of some

predicates that make it a directive utterance.

2.2.5 Aspects of Modality in Directive Speech Acts

Directive utterances are used by the speaker to get the hearers to do or not

to do some acts at the future time. It means that directive utterances are

prospective and cannot be evaluated as true or false. The utterance containing

modals such as should, must, have to, need, ought to, and so on can be


22

prospective. The utterance we must follow the law regulated in our country to

prove that we are good citizen. This utterance is a statement coming from a

speaker or an assertive speech acts in performing what he believes as the truth.

The presence of the modal must in this utterance shows obligation. Kreidler

(1998:241) explains the meaning of obligation that “It is necessity that is centered

on some person or persons”. Because obligation shows the necessity of the person

or persons to perform an act or refrain from doing, the use of modals in utterances

can also be used in performing directive speech acts.

There are some modal used in English such as must, have, have got, need,

ought, should, etc. These modals express different degree of obligation. Kreidler

(1998:241) states that must is the most forceful and formal. Have and have got are

not as strong as must, need is strong as have, ought expresses a weaker obligation

but still stronger than should.

2.1.6 Direct Speech Acts VS Indirect Speech Acts

In actual communicative events, the speakers or the writers use utterances

whether directly or indirectly to convey meaning. The utterance which is directly

implied as what is literally stated may be easier to be understood by the hearer or

the readers. The problems come when the utterance that is literally uttered

sometimes different to what the speaker‟s/writer‟s intention. Dealing with this

phenomenon, we concern with indirect speech acts.


23

Verschueren (1999) uses the term “literal force”: an assertive force for

declarative sentences, a question force for interrogative, and directive force for

imperative sentences. We take the example below:

Do you have any cigarette?

The literal force of the utterance above is an interrogative form, but pragmatically

it is actually a request to the hearer to share his/her cigarette.

Searle (1979: 30) talks about the special case where the indirect speech act

comes.

The simplest cases of meaning are those in which the speaker utters a

sentence and means exactly and literally what he says. In such cases the

speaker intends to produce a certain illocutionary effect in the hearer, and

he intends to produce this effect by getting the hearer to recognize his

intention to produce it, and he intends to get the hearer to recognize this

intention in virtue of the hearer's knowledge of the rules that govern the

utterance of the sentence.

In giving command for example when a thesis examiner asks his student to open a

page on thesis. It is easy to be understood by the student if the examiner says

“open page twenty”. In this sense, the thesis examiner directly commands the

students and the student without difficulties is able to recognize the examiner‟s

intention. If the thesis examiner prefers to command indirectly, he may say “there

is a problem on page twenty” or by giving questions like “do you think that there

is a problem on page twenty?” These two examples are presented in the form of

imperative and interrogative. In a specific circumstance, in this case thesis

examination, the student as the hearer should treat these two as a command.


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The problem comes in how the hearer/reader gets what actually the

speaker or the writer intends. Searle (1979) propose his hypothesis dealing with

this phenomenon.

The hypothesis I wish to defend is simply this: In indirect speech acts the

speaker communicates to the hearer more than he actually says by way of

relying on their mutually shared background information, both linguistic

and nonlinguistic, together with the general powers of rationality and

inference on the part of the hearer (1979:31-32).

It means that the speakers/writers chose to use indirect speech acts only if

all the participants shared the same background knowledge. The speakers/writer

may presuppose that their hearers/readers already know what the speakers/writers

intend.

So far it is clear that indirectness occurs when the participants involved in

the speech situation share the same background of knowledge. In addition, Leech

(1983) claims that indirectness is motivated by politeness. In this view, the choice

of indirectness in performing directives sometimes concerns with the term

politeness. Haugh (2015) also supports this view by taking politeness in

relationship with the indirectness. However, the relationship between indirectness

and politeness is not definite. It depends on the context where the communication

occurs. Context here means the interpersonal functions in communication. Haugh

(2015: 20) notes that “in other words, one of the main reasons why indirectness

does not always give rise to politeness is because it is in fact associated with a

whole range of different interpersonal phenomena”. It covers all the relationship

between the participants involved in speech communication such as the


25

superiority, the closeness relationship among participants, the goals of

communication, etc.

Since the relationship between indirectness and politeness is occurred,

there must be a strategy used by the speakers/writers in delivering their utterances,

for example directives. Deference Strategy is used by giving freedom to the

hearers as Yule (1996: 66) explains that:

It can be the typical strategy of a whole group or just an optional used on a

particular occasion. A deference strategy is involved in what is called

„formal politeness‟. It is impersonal, as if nothing is shared, and can

include expressions that refer to neither the speaker nor the hearer… The

language associated with a deference strategy emphasizes the speaker‟s

and the hearer‟s independence, marked via an absence of personal

claims…

In this strategy, the speaker does not directly describe the hearer for

example in directives or invitations. The use of neutral language is necessary here.

The example of the use of this strategy in directives speech act can be seen as

follows:

It is better if all people think of the unity of Indonesia.

Society is invited to see the actual situation in this country.

In these examples, the speaker does not directly address the hearer. The use of

neutral language (all people, society) in addressing hearers shows the high rank of

politeness in one hand, and shows the indirect directives speech act as in it is

better if all people think of the unity of Indonesia as well.


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2.1.7 Language and Identity

The theory of speech acts so far comes from the philosophy of action

(Austin, 1962). It means that when a person performs language in use, he at same

time performs some actions. Performing an action through language cannot be

separated from the interpersonal and social action since a person is either as

individual or member of society.

The way in which a speaker performs an utterance, for example

requesting, “have implications for the thoughts and feelings of the involved

parties, as well as the relationship that exists between them” (Holtgraves, 2002:5).

Thus the way utterances performed by the speaker also reflects his personality.

Many aspects of our language use such as the way we address the hearer, degree

of politeness, etc provide pieces of information that can be used by the hearers to

form impressions on the speaker (Holtgraves, 2002). Moreover, Holtgraves

assumes that in performing directives, commissive or assertives also involves the

performance of actions with clear implications for the identities of the

interactants.

Kreidler (1998) explains that in performing directives such as command,

request and suggestion, it depends on the presence of the speaker‟s authority.

Commanding indicates that the speaker is in authority, requesting with the

speaker‟s wishes and suggesting with the speaker‟s judgment respectively. The

way the speaker performs these kinds of directives also have the implication of

how the interlocutors make an impression to the speaker. The choice of words, the

use of polite markers, the modality aspects and so on can be the measurements of


27

how this impression is come. As an example, the use of modal would before verbs

which conventionally treated as polite in giving commands or suggestions. The

utterances such as “I would ask him to go with you” or ”I would like to offer

some suggestions” contains the high degree of politeness. The hearers or the

readers, in a appropriate context, build a good impression on the speaker attitude.

Edwards (2009) points out that language can be a marker at the individual

level. He also supports the argument that language and identity is inseparable. The

notion of identity according to Edwards applies to personality. It is indirectly

implied here that the way people use language reflects their personality.

Holtgraves (2002) proposes that there are several linguistics features that

can be measurements of depicting speaker‟s personality. The linguistics features

here refer to some aspects of language such as language styles or registers, degree

of politeness, the use of reffering expressions, content variables and so on.

Language styles or registers is associated with powerless and powefull. Powerless

linguistics style displays lack of hesitancy or lack of assertives. In contras,

powerfull linguistics style displays the high number of assertives. The powerless

linguistics style means the speaker is not credible and less competent while

powerful linguistics style represents the speaker‟s credibility.

The next is the choice of referring expressions. In this regard, the way the

speaker refers to the referent explains the attitude of the speaker towards the

referent. This choice can represent the relationship between the speaker and the

referent. The other measurement is the topic of the speech which can represents

the speaker‟s attitude towards the topic itself. Holtgraves (2002:197) states that


28

“simply put, how we talk about, describe and refer to others may be indicative of

our underlying attitudes toward those others”.

2.1.8 The Mind of Holy Father Francis

To strengthen this research, it is necessary to talk about the life of Father

Francis. The depiction of his life either as a person or as a pope contribute to the

finding of this research. Flamini (2013) notes that as the first Jesuit pope Father

Francis has defined by his simple message of spirituality through giving more

concern for the poor and vulnerable. His choice of name, Francis of Assisi who

well known through his humility, simplicity and his care for the poor reflects the

personality of Father Francis himself.

His motto, Miserando atque Eligendo (By Having Mercy and By

Choosing Him), also reflects his personality. In interview with Father Antonio

Spadaro, S.J., editor in chief of La Civiltà Cattolica, the Italian Jesuit journal,

Father Francis talks about his motto. Spadaro (2013: 255) reports his interview

with Pope Francis.

The pope continues to reflect and concentrate, as if he did not expect this

question, as if he were forced to reflect further. "Yes, perhaps I can say

that I am a bit astute, that I can adapt to circumstances, but it is also true

that I am a bit naive. Yes, but the best summary, the one that comes more

from the inside and I feel most true is this: I am a sinner whom the Lord

has looked upon." And he repeats: "I am one who is looked upon by the

Lord. I always felt my motto, Miserando atque Eligendo [By Having

Mercy and by Choosing Him], was very true for me.

Pope Francis has a great approach to people of different faiths which

confirms his understanding and tolerance (O‟Donnel, 2013). His thought of


29

leadership does not direct to impose others to follow him. Pope Francis gives a

great attention for the poor.

2.2 Review of Related Studies

There are many studies that have been conducted related to the topic

discussed in this research. The researcher puts some studies on directive speech

acts and some studies on the Encyclical Letters. Here are some of them.

The study on directive speech acts was conducted by Bryan. P. Ackerman

(1978), “Children‟s Understanding of Speech Acts in Directive Unconventional

frames”. He explored how two groups of children interpret the meaning of

directive utterance by treating them context of unconventional frames. The results

showed that both groups of children, as well as the adults, made contextually

sensitive interpretations of the indirect speech acts in judging the meanings of the

speech and in memory.

The study on directive speech acts was also conducted Janet. S. by Smith

(1992), “Women in Charge: Politeness and Directives in the Japanese Women

Speech”. He found that the claim that women are "more polite" than men,

specifically, that women use more polite verbs and verbal auxiliaries of direction

than men. This appears to be true both when women occupy roles that are

traditionally feminine (i.e. powerless) or those that are nontraditional (and

powerful). The authority of power also influences the way the Japanese women

using language in directives utterances whether more polite, directly or indirectly.


30

Another study was conducted by Kimberly Jones (1992), “A Question of

Context: Directive Use at the Morris Tim Meeting”. She explored the claim that

directives at a meeting were influenced by gender related issues. She found that

gender issues do not influence how people produce directives in a meeting. The

choice depends merely on the context of speech communication.

The study on Papal Communication was conducted by Michael Zänglen

(2014), “Trends in Papal Communication: A Content Analysis of Encyclicals,

from Leo XIII to Pope Francis”. He finds that concerning for authority in general

and for obedience and duty, in particular, is in decline. A second negative trend

supports this finding: textual indicators for Catholic uniqueness such as: Catholic,

Doctrine and Pope have steadily lost prominence. Upwardly directed, the textual

indicators for God, Jesus, Gospel, Spirituality and Love follow positive long-term

trends. The traditional esehatological code, with its keywords sin, death, final

judgment, heaven or hell, reaches only low levels of attention. Overall, there is an

esehatological loss, where Heaven, due to a slower decline, wins over Hell.

The study on Encyclical Letter was also conducted by Domènec Melé and

Michael Naughton (2011), “The Encyclical-Letter "Caritas in Veritate": Ethical

Challenges for Business”. They study and explore the special issue on Pope

Benedict's encyclical-letter, Caritas in Veritate (2009) and its engagement with

the field of business ethics. They provide some major themes of the encyclical

letter and their relationships with some interdisciplinary streams such as

philosophy, theology, psychology, business, economy, and political science.


31

The study on the Encyclical Letter Caritas in Veritate was also conducted

by Antonino Vaccaro and, Alejo José G. Sison (2011), “Transparency in

Business: The Perspective of Catholic Social Teaching and the “Caritas in

Veritate”. This paper focuses on the issue by extending the literature on business

ethics, corporate social responsibility, and corporate transparency in two

dimensions. First, it reviews the understanding and framing of the transparency

issue in Caritas in Veritate and in a selection of relevant Catholic Social Teaching

(CST) publications. Second, this paper provides normative indications for

corporate transparency decisions which reflect four permanent principles of CST,

that is, the common good, solidarity, subsidiarity, and respect for the human

being. Inasmuch as human beings are worthy of love for their own sakes, the

dimension of gift should always be present in relationships among them. This

paper also provides insights for further studies on corporate transparency and the

impact of religion on business ethics and corporate social responsibility.

Vitalino R. Gorospe (1988) studied the Encyclical Letter Sollicitudo Rei

Socialis written by Pope John Paul II. The title is “Sollicitudo Rei Socialis:

Structures of Sin: Population, and Ecology”. The purpose of this note is threefold:

(1) to provide from a Christian Filipino perspective an overview of the social

message of the new encyclical; (2) to point out its significance in updating and

developing social teaching of Populorum Progressio, and (3) to highlight three

social concerns of Sollicitudo which are likewise the concerns of the Philippine

Church and most pertinent to the Philippine situation, namely, Social Sin,

Population, and Ecology.


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The studies on directives speech act as presented above pay their attention

to some factors such as gender, authority of power and contextual sensitivity of

the children in understanding directives utterances. In contrast, this study does not

give a great amount attention on gender factors. Because the object of this

research is an encyclical letter which is written by the leader of religion

organization, the aspect of power authority still have influence in this study. It

covers the context of the speech which helps the researcher in exploring the

directives.

The studies on previous Encyclical Letter were conducted from many

disciplinary fields such as theology, philosophy, economy, and so on. Some

studies also explore the relationship between the topic of encyclical letter and

current condition of the time. This research tries to see encyclical letter from the

linguistics point of view by focusing on the directives speech act.

2.3 Theoretical Framework

This part concerns with the use of theory presented in this research in

order to answer the research question. The pragmatics theory which is presented

before underlies the frame of the researcher thought. By comprehending the

pragmatics as the point of departure in which the interpretation of language use

appears, it will help the researcher to get the boundary of thought frame. Since

pragmatics deals with the speech situation, the context of communicative events,

it is necessary to present the theory of context.


33

To answer the first question of this research, the theory of speech acts

especially directive speech acts become the main concern. Comprehending the

concept of directive speech acts helps the researcher to explain the characteristics

of directive utterances. Furthermore, the classification of directives into direct and

indirect directives along with their differences as presented in the theory.

For the second research questions, the theory of language and identity is

prominent in order to understand the relationship between Pope Francis‟s

personalities and his directive utterances in the Encyclical Letter Laudato Si‟.

This relationship appears in the way he delivers his directives. It also covers the

content of his directives, the addressee, and so on. These helps the researcher to

describe the Pope Francis‟s personality through the directive speech acts in the

Encyclical Letter Laudato Si’.


34

CHAPTER 3

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

This chapter covers the type of the study, object of the study that discussed

in this research, and the way the data are analyzed in this research.

3.1 Type of Study

This research is a pragmatic analysis since it concerns with the speech act

which is one of the common topic in pragmatic study. The study focuses on

directive speech acts found in the text. As it is mentioned in the previous chapter

that directives refer to the utterances in which the speaker wants the hearer to do

or refrain from doing things.

Since pragmatics concerns the interpretation of discourse, the researcher

stands as the main instrument in interpretating the directive speech acts in the

Encyclical Letter. In analyzing the directive speech acts, aspects of linguistics

features stand as the main focus. Moreover, the link between the directive speech

acts and the speaker‟s personality is taking for granted to explain why the

directive speech acts appears as they are. The social dimension of the speech

event is taken to support this research.

3.2 Object of the Study

This study takes directive speech acts as the object of this study. The

directive speech acts are obtained from the encyclical letter written by Roman


35

Pontiff Francis. The official name of this encyclical letter is “Encyclical Letter

Laudato Si’ of the Holy Father Francis on Care for Our Common Home”. This

encyclical letter talks about the ecological problems in the earth.

The encyclical letter Laudato Si’ was published on June 18th

2015 at the

same time into eight different languages such as Italic language, Germanic

language, English, Spanish, French, Polish language, Portuguese, and Arabic. The

data are taken from vatican.va which is the official Vatican website. This website

provides the data for free and can be accessed freely. This letter consists of six

chapters or 246 articles with preface section at the beginning of the letter.

3.3 Data Analysis

Determining the context of the text is necessary to be done since this study

is a pragmatic analysis. The context of the text helps the researcher in exploring

the directive speech acts in the Encyclical Letter Laudato Si’. Simply put, this part

helps the researcher to understand the encyclical letter itself.

There are 123 directive utterances analyzed in this research. They consist

of direct and indirect directives. All these directives are divided into three kinds

namely commands, requests and suggestions (Kreidler, 1998). Measuring the

frequency of both direct and indirect directives in each section of the letter is

necessary to be done in order to see the distribution of directive utterances in the

letter. The frequency of directives is also significant for the finding of this

research. The table below is used to draw the distribution of directive utterances

frequency.


36

Table 3.1 Distribution of Directives Speech Acts Frequency

NO TEXT SECTION

DIRECTIVE SPEECH ACTS

Direct Indirect

Frequency % Frequency %

1. Preface

2. Chapter 1

3. Chapter 2

4. Chapter 3

5. Chapter 4

6. Chapter 5

7. Chapter 6

Total

After finding the directives in the Encyclical Letter, the next is analyzing

how the Holy Father Francis delivers his directives. Concerning with this, the

researcher describes the characteristics of both direct and indirect directives. The

researcher focuses on language features that used by Holy Father Francis in

delivering his directives for example in addressing the readers, the use of polite

markers, modality and so on. The researcher also identifies the imperative moods

that used by Pope Francis in delivering his directives, both direct and indirect

directives.


37

In presenting the analysis of the data, the researcher uses specific acronym

that is “LS” which is used to address the Encyclical Letter Laudato Si’. The letter

consists of preface followed by six chapters as it has mentioned before. The

Encyclical Letter uses the number of article with range 1-246. The examples are

as follows:

Example 1 (LS12)

(1) What is more, Saint Francis, faithful to Scripture, invites us to see nature

as a magnificent book in which God speaks to us and grants us a glimpse

of his infinite beauty and goodness. (LS12)

Example 2 (LS43)

(2) Human beings too are creatures of this world, enjoying a right to life and

happiness, and endowed with unique dignity. So we cannot fail to consider

the effects on people‟s lives of environmental deterioration, current

models of development and the throwaway culture.(LS43)

The example 1 is recognized as LS12 (Should be read as “Laudato Si’ Article 12)

and the example 2 which is recognized as LS43 (Laudato Si’ Article 43) as well.

To get the third objectives of this research, it is descriptively explained

how the directive utterances reflect the personality of the speaker. The social

dimension of language is used to explain this matter. It covers how the speaker

addresses his readers, the choice of words, the form of utterances and so forth.


38

CHAPTER 4

RESULT AND DISCUSSION

This chapter presents the result of the study based on the research

questions that have been formulated. This part also matches the objectives of the

study which aims to describe the proportion of directive speech acts in the

Encyclical Letter and to explain how the directive speech acts are presented in the


Common Home. Furthermore, this chapter also describes how the personalities of

Pope Francis are reflected through the directive speech acts. The chapter is

divided into four sections which are context surrounding the text, the proportion

of directive speech acts, the delivery of directives speech acts and the personalites

of Pope Francis.

4.1 The Context of the Letter

The official name of the letter is “Encyclical Letter Laudato Si’ of the

Holy Father Francis on Care for Our Common Home”. It is written by Pope

Francis, the Roman Catholic Pontiff, the leader of Catholic Roman Church. This

lettter is addressed to the member of the Catholic Roman Church and for all

people of good will. This letter concerns with the ecological and environmental

problems. Through this letter, Pope Francis speaks about the issue of ecology.

This letter consists of six chapters and the preface at the beginning of the

letter. Every chapter talks about different topics. The preface section of the letter


39

is an introduction where Father Francis speaks the background features before

coming into the dialog on the problems concerned with the ecological issues.

The first chapter entitled “What is Happening to Our Common Home”

contains several issues on ecological problems such as the issue of pollution and

climate change, the issue of water, the loss of biodiversity, the decline in the

quality of human life and the breakdown of society, the global inequality, the

weak responses, and the variety of opinions. Through this chapter, Father Francis

describes what is happening to our world. He defines the ecological problems and

states that all the matters include every living being in this planet.

The second chapter of the letter, “The Gospel of Creation” mainly talks

about the nature of the world as the creation of God. This part is included in the

letter because according to Pope, people tend to reject the concept of theology

when dealing with ecological and environmental issue. This letter is not addressed

only to the member of Catholic Roman Church but also to all people of good will.

It is more inclusive letter. Holy Father Francis puts this part for some reasons. In

this LS art 62, Holy Father Francis says:

62. Why should this document, addressed to all people of good will,

include a chapter dealing with the convictions of believers? I am well

aware that in the areas of politics and philosophy there are those who

firmly reject the idea of a Creator, or consider it irrelevant, and

consequently dismiss as irrational the rich contribution which religions can

make towards an integral ecology and the full development of humanity.

Others view religions simply as a subculture to be tolerated. Nonetheless,

science and religion, with their distinctive approaches to understanding

reality, can enter into an intense dialogue fruitful for both.


40

The third chapter of this letter offers the discussion on the human roots on

the ecological crisis. Holy Father Francis talks about the human actions and what

they do. This chapter considers how the creativity of human beings brings some

causes on the earth. The effect of globalization also is considered as the human

action dealing with the ecological crisis.

The fourth chapter of the letter deals with the integral ecology in which

Pope Francis argues that everything is interrelated. Pope Francis in this chapter

talks about the environmental, economic and social ecology. He also talks about

the cultural aspects in everyday life, the principal of common good and justice. He

argues that everything is interrelated. Every aspect should be taken into account

dealing with ecological issue.

The fifth chapter proposes the lines of approach and action that can be

done to solve the ecological and environmental problems. Pope Francis echoes

dialogues in a local and global scale. It is caused by the impact of the natural

disaster and issues effects every human being in this planet. He encourages the

right policies for saving our planet.

The last chapter deals with the ecological education and spirituality. In this

part, Pope Francis mainly talks about the spirituality and the role of family in

ecological education. He encourages these aspects as the basis of how people see

themselves as the creation of God. Ecological education should be started from

the smallest society we live in which is family.


41

4.2. The Proportion of Directives Speech Acts

This part is presented based on the first research question that has been

preceded. The directives are distributed in every section of the encyclical letter.

The analysis indicates that there is a different proportion between direct and

indirect directives speech acts in the Encyclical Letter Laudato Si’ of the Holy

Father Francis on Care for Our Common Home. The following table is put down

to show the distribution of the directives speech acts occurrence. There are 123

directive utterances that have been identified in the encyclical letter Laudato Si’.

Table 4.1 Distribution of Directives Speech Acts Frequency

No Section of the Letter

Directive Speech Acts

Direct Indirect

Frequency % Frequency %

1. Preface

1 7.69 12 10.9

2. Chapter 1. What Is

Happening to Our Common

Home

1 7.69 24 21.8

3. Chapter 2. The Gospel of

Creation

0 0 14 12.7

4. Chapter 3. The Human

Roots of the Ecological

Crisis

0 0 15 13.6

5. Chapter 4. Integral Ecology

3 23.07 14 12.7

6. Chapter 5. Line of Approach

and Action

1 7.69 20 18.1

7. Chapter 6. Ecological

Education and Spirituality

7 53.84 11 10

Total

13 100 110 100


42

The table above shows that the frequency of indirect directives is higher

than direct directives in the Encyclical Letter Laudato Si’ of the Holy Father

Francis on Care for Our Common Home. It is clear that the directive speech acts

consist of 13 direct and 110 indirect directives.

There are one direct directive and 12 indirect directive utterances that have

been identified in the preface section of the letter. The table 4.1 above shows that

there are 25 directive utterances in the first chapter of the letter “What is

Happening to Our Common Home” which consist of one direct and 24 indirect

directives. All of directives in the second chapter “The Gospel of Creation” are

recognized as indirect suggestions even this chapter talks about the relationship

between the Creator and the creations.

The chapter of the human roots of the ecological crisis consists of 14 direct

directive utterances. In chapter four of the letter “Integral Ecology”, there are 17

directive utterances which consist of 3 direct and 14 indirect directives. Chapter

five of the letter “Line of Approach and Action” contains one single direct

directive and 20 indirect directives while the last chapter of the letter consists of 7

direct directives and 11 indirect directives.

4.2.1 The Proportion of Direct Directives Speech Acts

To make it clear, the following table is presented in order to show the

proportion of each kind of directives in every section of the letter. The letter C

stands for commands, R for requests and S for Suggestions respectively.


43

Table 4.2 Distribution of Direct Directive Types

No

Section of the Letter C R S

1 Preface

0 1 0

2 Chapter 1. What Is Happening to Our Common

Home

0 1 0

3 Chapter 2. The Gospel of Creation

0 0 0

4 Chapter 3. The Human Roots of the Ecological

Crisis

0 0 0

5 Chapter 4. Integral Ecology

0 2 1

6 Chapter 5. Line of Approach and Action

0 1 0

7 Chapter 6. Ecological Education and

Spirituality

0 6 1

Total

0 11 2

The table above clearly informs that there is no direct command in the

letter. The direct directive speech acts are only recognized as requests with 11

occurances and suggestions with 2 occurances. Because there is no utterance

recognized as command, the following parts only present the direct requests and

suggestions. Only the selected data are presented in this part while the entire result

of the analysis will be stated at the appendixes.

It is stated before that in giving requests the speaker is not in authority.

The full compliance of the requests depends on the hearer‟s/reader‟s side to accept

the speaker‟s wishes or not. The following demonstrates some of direct requests

in the encyclical letter Laudato Si’.


44

One of the direct requests has been identified in the preface section of the

letter. This section is an introduction where Father Francis speaks the background

features before coming into dialog on the problems concerned with the ecological

issues. The utterance can be seen in (1) as follow:

(1). I urgently appeal, then, for a new dialogue about how we are

shaping the future of our planet. (LS 14)

The utterance above shows that Father Francis directly appeals the readers to

come into a new dialog concerned with the ecological and environmental

problems that happened in the world. He invites the readers through this utterance

to see the problems from a new perspective.

The direct request is also found in the first chapter of the letter “What is

Happening to Our Common Home”. There is only one direct request that is

analyzed in this chapter. The direct directive utterance which is recognized as

request can be seen in the following utterance.

(2). Let us review, however cursorily, those questions which are

troubling us today and which we can no longer sweep under the

carpet. Our goal is not to amass information or to satisfy curiosity,

but rather to become painfully aware, to dare to turn what is

happening to the world into our own personal suffering and thus to

discover what each of us can do about it. (LS 19)

In this utterance Father Francis directly invite us to see the ecological and

environmental problems as things which cannot be avoided. He invites us to see

these problems as our own suffer and that is why we cannot run away from that

situation. Father Francis invites us to be involved in this matter and think of

solutions.


45

The table (4.2) shows that there are 2 utterances recognized as the direct

request in chapter four of the letter “Integral Ecology”. The direct requests can be

seen in the following examples.

(3). In the unstable neighbourhoods of mega-cities, the daily

experience of overcrowding and social anonymity can create a

sense of uprootedness which spawns antisocial behaviour and

violence. Nonetheless, I wish to insist that love always proves more

powerful. (LS 149)

(4). Let us not only keep the poor of the future in mind, but also today’s

poor, whose life on this earth is brief and who cannot keep on

waiting. Hence, “in addition to a fairer sense of intergenerational

solidarity there is also an urgent moral need for a renewed sense

of intragenerational solidarity”.(LS 162)

The utterances above show that Father Francis requests us to put love as a

powerful tool against violence and antisocial behavior as in (3). Moreover, giving

more attentions to the poor and showing solidarity for the poor and vulnerable

human should be the priority as in (4). Father Francis invites us to think not only

for the poor of the future but also today‟s poor which he calls “intragenerational

solidarity”.

Chapter five of the letter “Line of Approach and Action” contains one

single direct request based on the analysis. The direct directive is recognized as

request is found and presented in the following example.

(5). Here I would state once more that the Church does not presume to

settle scientific questions or to replace politics. But I am concerned

to encourage an honest and open debate so that particular

interests or ideologies will not prejudice the common good. (LS

188)


46

It is clear at the example above that Father Francis wants to encourage us to come

into an open and honest debate and dialogue. He invites us to be in the dialogue

which every prejudice is rejected. The dialogue and debate on ecological and

environmental crisis should be direct into an open and honest resolution without

particular interests of some groups.

In chapter six of the letter, Father Francis speaks about the need for

fundamental changed of human behaviors. The analysis of this chapter shows that

there are 6 utterances recognized as direct requests. In (6), Father Francis speaks

about the dignity of human beings; the right that human beings have that makes us

free to choose and to be changed. Father Francis through the letter also invites us

to put family as the basis where awareness and care for ecology and environment

start. The importance of family in ecological education should be put as the basis

of this education as in (7).

(6). Human beings, while capable of the worst, are also capable of

rising above themselves, choosing again what is good, and making

a new start, despite their mental and social conditioning. We are

able to take an honest look at ourselves, to acknowledge our deep

dissatisfaction, and to embark on new paths to authentic freedom.

No system can completely suppress our openness to what is good,

true and beautiful, or our God-given ability to respond to his grace

at work deep in our hearts. I appeal to everyone throughout the

world not to forget this dignity which is ours. No one has the right

to take it from us. (LS 205)

(7). Here, though, I would stress the great importance of the family,

which is “the place in which life – the gift of God (LS 213)

Father Francis also invites all the Christians to put Jesus Christ as

representation who remains us that all creatures loved by God. Therefore, Father

Francis through (8) asks the Christians to recognize and love all the creations. The


47

change of lifestyles and the growth of love for other creatures should be started

from a little thing such as the prayer before and after meal. It seems just a little

thing but this is a beautiful and meaningful custom that can build our love to other

creatures. This directive is found in (9).

(8). We read in the Gospel that Jesus says of the birds of the air that

“not one of them is forgotten before God” (Lk 12:6). How then can

we possibly mistreat them or cause them harm? I ask all Christians

to recognize and to live fully this dimension of their conversion.

(LS 221)

(9). One expression of this attitude is when we stop and give thanks to

God before and after meals. I ask all believers to return to this

beautiful and meaningful custom. That moment of blessing,

however brief, reminds us of our dependence on God for life; it

strengthens our feeling of gratitude for the gifts of creation; it

acknowledges those who by their labours provide us with these

goods; and it reaffirms our solidarity with those in greatest need.

(LS 227)

Directive utterances which are recognized as suggestions are covered by

the speaker‟s judgment on things. Based on the analysis, there are 2 utterances in

the encyclical letter Laudato Si’ recognized as direct suggestions. These

utterances are found in the chapter four and six of the encyclical letter. The

following demonstrates the direct suggestions that have been identified in the

letter.

In chapter four of the encyclical letter “Integral Ecology”, Father Francis

directly suggests us to consider the interconnection between society and humanity.

In (10), he suggests us that ecological problems need the visionary solutions

which include every aspects of human and the society.


48

(10). Since everything is closely interrelated, and today’s problems call

for a vision capable of taking into account every aspect of the glob-

al crisis, I suggest that we now consider some elements of an

integral ecology, one which clearly respects its human and social

dimensions. (LS 137)

Dealing with the ecological education and spirituality, Father Francis in

chapter six of the encyclical letter takes the spiritual aspect to be considered and

gives suggestion as in (11) below.

(11). Here, I would like to offer Christians a few suggestions for an

ecological spirituality grounded in the convictions of our faith,

since the teachings of the Gospel have direct consequences for our

way of thinking, feeling and living. More than in ideas or concepts

as such, I am interested in how such a spirituality can motivate us

to a more passionate concern for the protection of our world. A

commitment this lofty cannot be sustained by doctrine alone,

without a spirituality capable of inspiring us, without an “interior

impulse which encourages, motivates, nourishes and gives

meaning to our individual and communal activity”. Admittedly,

Christians have not always appropriated and developed the

spiritual treasures bestowed by God upon the Church, where the

life of the spirit is not dissociated from the body or from nature or

from worldly realities, but lived in and with them, in communion

with all that surrounds us. (LS 216)

The aspects of spirituality in talking about ecological problems should motivate

the way we think, feel and live. The faith in God should be the encouragement for

the Christians to live in harmony with the nature surrounding. Father Francis

suggests the Christians to protect the world which is motivated by our faith in

God.


49

4.2.2 The Proportion of Indirect Directive Speech Acts

The table below describes the proposition of indirect directive speech acts

in the encyclical letter Laudato Si’. The high numbers of indirect speech acts

indicates that Father Francis prefers to imply his directives indirectly. It is

contrary with the direct directives; every section of the encyclical letter contains

indirect directive utterances. The table (4.3) below shows that the indirect

directives identified in the encyclical letter Laudato Si’ consists of commands,

requests and suggestions. The letter C stands for Commands, R for Requests and

S for Suggestions as well.

Table 4.3 Distribution of Indirect Directive Types

No

Section of the Letter C R S

1 Preface

0 4 8

2 Chapter 1. What Is Happening to Our Common

Home

0 1 23

3 Chapter 2. The Gospel of Creation

3 1 10

4 Chapter 3. The Human Roots of the Ecological

Crisis

0 1 14

5 Chapter 4. Integral Ecology

0 1 13

6 Chapter 5. Line of Approach and Action

0 0 20

7 Chapter 6. Ecological Education and

Spirituality

0 3 8

Total

3 11 96


50

The table 4.3 above indicates that most of indirect directives speech acts

are recognized as suggestions with 96 occurances. The indirect requests consist of

11 utterances while indirect commands consist of 3 utterances. The following

demonstrates some of indirect directives speech acts in the letter.

Based on the analysis, there are three utterances recognized as indirect

commands. These utterances are stated in the second chapter of the encyclical

letter “The Gospel of Creation”. The indirect command can be seen in (12) below

in which Father Francis speaks about the responsibility and the duty of Christians

within all the creations and the Creator. Pope Francis tells us that our behavior and

attitude toward nature is an essential part of our faith.

(12). If the simple fact of being human moves people to care for the

environment of which they are a part, Christians in their turn

“realize that their responsibility within creation, and their duty to-

wards nature and the Creator, are an essential part of their faith”.

It is good for humanity and the world at large when we believers

better recognize the ecological commitments which stem from our

convictions. (LS 64)

Another example of indirect commands can be seen in the following

utterances.

(13). Every act of cruelty towards any creature is “contrary to human

dignity”. (LS 92)

(14). For believers, this becomes a question of fidelity to the Creator,

since God created the world for everyone. Hence every ecological

approach needs to incorporate a social perspective which takes

into account the fundamental rights of the poor and the

underprivileged. (LS 93)


51

It is indirectly stated in (13) that causing harm and damage on nature is a sin. He

commands the Christians to avoid every act which can cause damage on nature.

This directive is presented in the form of statements which is recognized as

indirect directive speech act. Again in (14), Pope Francis gives command

addressed to the believers look back on the fact that God creates the world for

everyone. Therefore the believers must take into account the poor. It is part of the

faith to think the vulnerable and poor people.

There are 11 utterances recognized as the indirect requests based on the

analysis. The indirect requests identified in the preface section are demonstrated

in the following utterances.

(15). Pope Benedict asked us to recognize that the natural environment

has been gravely damaged by our irresponsible behaviour. (LS 6)

(16). With paternal concern, Benedict urged us to realize that creation is

harmed “where we ourselves have the final word, where

everything is simply our property and we use it for ourselves alone.

The misuse of creation begins when we no longer recognize any

higher instance than ourselves, when we see nothing else but

ourselves”. (LS 6)

Father Francis indirectly invites the readers to recognize that we tend to see the

world below us. As the consequence, we act like the absolute owner of the nature

itself. He also requests us to realize that most of the harms, damages, and

problems of ecology caused by human activities. He wishes that people start to

realize being self-centered governs us today.

In chapter one of the letter, the indirect request can be seen in the

following utterance.


52

(17). Humanity is called to recognize the need for changes of lifestyle,

production and consumption, in order to combat this warming or

at least the human causes which produce or aggravate it. (LS 23)

The utterance (17) above indicates that Father Francis invites people to change

lifestyles, unlimited production and consumption activities and every act that

causes harm and damage on the earth. The need for changes of lifestyles and the

consumption and production behaviors are necessary to be done in order to

minimize the problems.

Dealing with the Gospel of creation, there is one utterance recognized as

the indirect request based on the analysis. This can be seen in (18).

(18). Human beings, endowed with intelligence and love, and drawn by

the fullness of Christ, are called to lead all creatures back to their

Creator. (LS 83)

The utterance directs us to come into a new paradigm that all creatures should be

back to the Creator. Through this utterance, Father Francis requests us to think on

this matter therefore guides our behaviors and attitudes toward nature.

Based on the analysis, there is only one utterance that recognized as

indirect request in chapter three of the letter. The utterance below shows the

indirect request of this matter.

(19). Since everything is interrelated, concern for the protection of

nature is also incompatible with the justification of abortion. How

can we genuinely teach the importance of concern for other

vulnerable beings, however troublesome or inconvenient they may

be, if we fail to protect a human embryo, even when its presence is

uncomfortable and creates difficulties? (LS 120)


53

The other indirect request is found in chapter four of the letter which

concerns the integral ecology. The indirect request that analyzed in this chapter

indicates that Father Francis challenges us to think on ecological problems. He

wants us to imagine what kind of world we want to leave behind for the next

generation. In (20) below, He invites us to think that ecological problems will

affect our future generations, our children and fellow men and women.

(20). What kind of world do we want to leave to those who come after

us, to children who are now growing up? (LS 160)

The last chapter of the letter contains some indirect requests. They can be

seen in (21) and (22). By quoting Saint Therese of Lisieux in (21), father Francis

invites us to do just a little thing such as smile or any small gesture which shows

peace and friendship. Practice these simple behaviors can increase the balance and

harmonious relationship between human and nature. Father Francis encourages

the aspect of spirituality in integral ecology as in (22).

(21). Saint Therese of Lisieux invites us to practise the little way of love,

not to miss out on a kind word, a smile or any small gesture which

sows peace and friendship. An integral ecology is also made up of

simple daily gestures which break with the logic of violence,

exploitation and selfishness. (LS 230)

(22). Everything is interconnected, and this invites us to develop a

spirituality of that global solidarity which flows from the mystery

of the Trinity. (LS 240)

Table 4.3 shows that the indirect suggestions are high in numbers. There

are 94 indirect suggestions identified in the encyclical letter Laudato Si‟ of the

Holy Father Francis on Care for Our Common Home. It is grounded in the theory


54

that suggestions contain the speaker‟s judgments. These suggestions are

distributed in every section of the letter. The following will be some of them.

The indirect suggestions that have been analyzed in the preface section of

the Encyclical Letter Laudato Si‟ concern with the changes of human behavior.

Father Francis suggests us to make changes in lifestyles, behaviors, attitudes,

ethical and spiritual roots of humanity toward environment. They can be found in

the utterances as follows.

(23). Every effort to protect and improve our world entails profound

changes in “lifestyles, models of production and consumption, and

the established structures of power which today govern societies”.

(LS 5)

(24). At the same time, Bartholomew has drawn attention to the ethical

and spiritual roots of environmental problems, which require that

we look for solutions not only in technology but in a change of

humanity; otherwise we would be dealing merely with symptoms.

(LS 9)

(25). If we approach nature and the environment without this openness

to awe and wonder, if we no longer speak the language of

fraternity and beauty in our relationship with the world, our at-

titude will be that of masters, consumers, ruthless exploiters,

unable to set limits on their immediate needs. By contrast, if we

feel intimately united with all that exists, then sobriety and care

will well up spontaneously. (LS 11)

Father Francis also suggests that everyone should be included when we are

dealing with ecological and environmental problems. Solutions for the problems

should touch everyone and universally incorporate. These suggestions can be seen

in (26) to (28) below.

(26). The urgent challenge to protect our common home includes a

concern to bring the whole human family together to seek a

sustainable and integral development, for we know that things can

change. (LS 13)


55

(27). Young people demand change. They wonder how anyone can claim

to be building a better future without thinking of the environmental

crisis and the sufferings of the excluded. (LS 13)

(28). We need a conversation which includes everyone, since the

environmental challenge we are undergoing, and its human roots,

concern and affect us all. (LS 14)

The number of indirect suggestion is high in the first chapter based on the

analysis. Father Francis gives many suggestions on how to solve the problems. He

suggests that technology should be innovated as a tool to solve the ecological

problems. He also suggests us to give more appreciation for the experts who work

to finding solutions. These suggestions can be seen in the following utterances.

(29). Technology, which, linked to business interests, is presented as the

only way of solving these problems, in fact proves incapable of

seeing the mysterious network of relations between things and so

sometimes solves one problem only to create others. (LS 20)

(30). There is still a need to develop adequate storage technologies. (LS

26)

(31). We must be grateful for the praiseworthy efforts being made by

scientists and engineers dedicated to finding solutions to man-

made problems. (LS 34)

Dealing with the problems of industrial waste, Father Francis suggests us

that recycling and reusing waste of industrial production is one of solutions that

we can do to minimize the pollution and waste problems. He also suggests us to

limit as much as possible the un-renewed resources.

(32). To cite one example, most of the paper we produce is thrown away

and not recycled. (LS 22)

(33). But our industrial system, at the end of its cycle of production and

consumption, has not developed the capacity to absorb and reuse


56

waste and by-products. We have not yet managed to adopt a

circular model of production capable of preserving resources for

present and future generations, while limiting as much as possible

the use of non-renewable resources, moderating their

consumption, maximizing their efficient use, reusing and recycling

them. (LS 22)

Since the water is essential need for human beings, Father Francis speaks

that access to clean water should be the right of every person living in this planet.

So that, every nations should make this thing right especially for the poor. This

directive can be seen in (35) as follow.

(34). Yet access to safe drinkable water is a basic and universal human

right, since it is essential to human survival and, as such, is a

condition for the exercise of other human rights. (LS 30)

Most of directives in the second chapter “The Gospel of Creation” are

recognized as indirect suggestions even this chapter talks about the relationship

between the Creator and the creations. The examples of suggestions that are

identified in this chapter are presented as follows:

(35). I am well aware that in the areas of politics and philosophy there

are those who firmly reject the idea of a Creator, or consider it

irrelevant, and consequently dismiss as irrational the rich

contribution which religions can make towards an integral ecology

and the full development of humanity. (LS 62)

(36). Given the complexity of the ecological crisis and its multiple

causes, we need to realize that the solutions will not emerge from

just one way of interpreting and transforming reality. Respect must

also be shown for the various cultural riches of different peoples,

their art and poetry, their interior life and spirituality. (LS 63)

Talking about ecology and environment along with their problems and the

possible solutions, it sometimes does not include the aspect of spirituality and the


57

presence of our Creator. Through the utterances above, Father Francis suggests us

that spiritual and faithful aspects should be included when we are talking about

nature and the problems that happening to it.

Chapter three of the letter describes the human roots on the ecological

crisis. Dealing with this phenomenon, Father Francis gives many suggestions in

realizing the impact of human activities on ecology. The examples show some of

them.

(37). It would hardly be helpful to describe symptoms without

acknowledging the human origins of the ecological crisis. A

certain way of understanding human life and activity has gone

awry, to the serious detriment of the world around us. Should we

not pause and consider this? (LS 101)

(38). All of this shows the urgent need for us to move forward in a bold

cultural revolution. Science and technology are not neutral; from

the beginning to the end of a process, various intentions and

possibilities are in play and can take on distinct shapes. Nobody is

suggesting a return to the Stone Age, but we do need to slow down

and look at reality in a different way, to appropriate the positive

and sustainable progress which has been made, but also to recover

the values and the great goals swept away by our unrestrained

delusions of grandeur. (LS 114)

(39). When human beings fail to find their true place in this world, they

misunderstand themselves and end up acting against themselves:

“Not only has God given the earth to man, who must use it with

respect for the original good purpose for which it was given, but,

man too is God’s gift to man. He must therefore respect the natural

and moral structure with which he has been endowed”. (LS 115)

Father Francis remains and warns us that the human activities and the way

humans understand the basic purpose of nature have gone awry and caused harm

of the world around us as in (37). The (38) shows that the revolution in our culture


58

should be made. The technology and science should be used by paying attention

to the values and great goals of the nature herself. The spiritual aspects of

understanding the human origin in this world also play a prominent aspect. Father

Francis in (39) suggests us to respect the natural and moral structure with which

we have been endowed.

Dealing with the integral ecology, Father Francis suggests us to seek for

comprehensive solutions by giving more supports and academic freedom for the

researchers. He also suggests that ongoing research should give us more

understandings as the following examples.

(40). It is essential to seek comprehensive solutions which consider the

interactions within natural systems themselves and with social

systems. (LS 139)

(41). Due to the number and variety of factors to be taken into account

when determining the environmental impact of a concrete

undertaking, it is essential to give researchers their due role, to

facilitate their interaction, and to ensure broad academic freedom.

Ongoing research should also give us a better understanding of

how different creatures relate to one another in making up the

larger units which today we term “ecosystems”. (LS 140)

Father Francis in chapter five of the letter “Line Approach and Action”

talks many things. All of the indirect directives that identified in this chapter are

cognized as suggestions. Some of them are stated below.

(42). Some strategies for lowering pollutant gas emissions call for the

internationalization of environmental costs, which would risk

imposing on countries with fewer resources burdensome

commitments to reducing emissions comparable to those of the

more industrialized countries. (LS 170)

(43). Enforceable international agreements are urgently needed, since

local authorities are not always capable of effective intervention.

Relations between states must be respectful of each other’s


59

sovereignty, but must also lay down mutually agreed means of

averting regional disasters which would eventually affect everyone.

Global regulatory norms are needed to impose obligations and

prevent unacceptable actions, for example, when powerful

companies or countries dump contaminated waste or offshore

polluting industries in other countries. (LS 173)

Father Francis in (42) suggests us that ecological and environmental problems

involve everyone, every country and every nation. He suggests that the costs of

solving and finding solutions on the problems should be internationalized. He also

speaks about the importance of international agreements and regularities because

local authorities sometimes seem not affective as in (43).

The indirect suggestions in the last chapter of the letter mostly talk about

both educational and spiritual aspects. The aspect of education is also important in

developing care of ecology. The education field should facilitate and grow up the

awareness toward the world. According to Father Francis in, education in

environmental responsibility can encourage ways of acting which directly and

significantly affect the world around us, such as avoiding the use of plastic and

paper, reducing water consumption, separating refuse, cooking only what can

reasonably be consumed, showing care for other living beings, using public

transport or car-pooling, planting trees, turning off unnecessary lights, or any

number of other practices. The indirect suggestions can be seen in the following

examples.

(44). Environmental education should facilitate making the leap towards

the transcendent which gives ecological ethics its deepest meaning.

It needs educators capable of developing an ethics of ecology, and

helping people, through effective pedagogy, to grow in solidarity,

responsibility and compassionate care. (LS 210)


60

(45). Education in environmental responsibility can encourage ways of

acting which directly and significantly affect the world around us,

such as avoiding the use of plastic and paper, reducing water

consumption, separating refuse, cooking only what can reasonably

be consumed, showing care for other living beings, using public

transport or car-pooling, planting trees, turning off unnecessary

lights, or any number of other practices. All of these reflect a

generous and worthy creativity which brings out the best in human

beings. Reusing something instead of immediately discarding it,

when done for the right reasons, can be an act of love which

expresses our own dignity. (LS 211)

Father Francis gives more emphasis to the spiritual aspects. He indirectly

suggests us to put our love of God as the guidance in our relationship with other

people. The directives are presented in below.

(46). When we feel that God is calling us to intervene with others in

these social dynamics, we should realize that this too is part of our

spirituality, which is an exercise of charity and, as such, matures

and sanctifies us. (LS 231)

(47). For Christians, believing in one God who is trinitarian communion

suggests that the Trinity has left its mark on all creation. (LS 239)

4.3 The Delivery of Directive Speech Acts

After presented the proposition of directive speech acts in the Encyclical

Letter Laudato Si’ on Care for Our Common Home, the next step is describing the

delivery of directive speech acts in the letter. In this regard, the following will be

the description of the characteristics of each kinds of directive utteraces that have

been identified in the Encyclical Letter Laudato Si’ on Care for Our Common

Home.


61

4.3.1 Characteristics of Direct Directives Speech Acts

It is stated in table 4.1 that there are 13 utterances recognized as direct

directives in the encyclical letter Laudato Si‟. They consist of 11 requests and 2

suggestions. These utterances have specific characteristics. The following

explains the characteristics of direct directive speech acts identified in the study.

4.3.1.1 Characteristics of Direct Requests

To begin with, the following table is presented in order to show the

distribution of language construction of direct requests in the Ecyclical Letter. The

table 4.4 below shows the characteristics of direct requests that have been

identified in the encyclical letter Laudato Si’ of the Holy Father Francis on Care

for Our Common Home.

Table 4.4 Language Construction of Direct Requests

No Form Occurences

Frequency %

1 Sentences with I as the subject

9 81,81

2. Let us construction

2 18,18

Total

11 100

It is stated before that in giving requests the speaker is not in authority.

The full compliance of the requests depends on the hearer‟s/reader‟s side to accept

the speaker‟s wishes or not. The direct requests in the Encyclical Letter Laudato


62

Si’ are characterized mostly by the presence of first person singular and the use of

illocutionary verbs which indicates the direct request as in the examples below.

(48). I urgently appeal, then, for a new dialogue about how we are

shaping the future of our planet. (LS 14)




violence. Nonetheless, I wish to insist that love always proves

more powerful. (LS 149)

(50). Here I would state once more that the Church does not presume to

settle scientific questions or to replace politics. But I am

concerned to encourage an honest and open debate so that par-

ticular interests or ideologies will not prejudice the common good.

(LS 188)

(51). Human beings, while capable of the worst, are also capable of

rising above themselves, choosing again what is good, and making

a new start, despite their mental and social conditioning. We are

able to take an honest look at ourselves, to acknowledge our deep

dissatisfaction, and to embark on new paths to authentic freedom.

No system can completely suppress our openness to what is good,

true and beautiful, or our God-given ability to respond to his grace

at work deep in our hearts. I appeal to everyone throughout the

world not to forget this dignity which is ours. No one has the right

to take it from us. (LS 205)

The presence of the first pronoun I in the examples above is crucial because it

straightly indicates that the utterances are direct directives. Most of direct requests

where the first pronoun I operates is followed by the verbs that indicate the

directives speech acts. The verb appeal in (1) and (4) indicates that the utterances

are requests. The same is in (3) where the verb to encourage indicates that the

utterance is request.

The direct requests are also can be recognized by the use of verb to let in

the formal form let us which indicates that the utterances are requests as in the


63

examples below. The use of let us indicates that the requests are addressed to

every one including the speaker.

(52). Let us review, however cursorily, those questions which are

troubling us today and which we can no longer sweep under the

carpet. Our goal is not to amass information or to satisfy curiosity,

but rather to become painfully aware, to dare to turn what is

happening to the world into our own personal suffering and thus to

discover what each of us can do about it. (LS 19)






It is clear so far that in direct requests are characterized by the presence of

personal pronoun I followed by the illoutionary verbs. The verbs straightly

indicate that the utterances are requests. It is also common to use the formal form

of to let which is let us in giving requests. These characteristics are significant in

identifying the direct request in a written discourse.

4.3.1.2 Characteristics of Direct Suggestions

Since the direct suggestions only consist of 2 utterances, the occurance of

language construction table is not presented. Directive utterances which are

recognized as suggestions are covered by the speaker‟s judgment on things. Direct

suggestions based on the analysis have the same pattern with requests. The

presence of the first person singular I, followed by the verbs which indicates the

directives speech acts. The examples can be seen as follows.

(54). Since everything is closely interrelated, and today’s problems call

for a vision capable of taking into account every aspect of the glob-


64

al crisis, I suggest that we now consider some elements of an

integral ecology, one which clearly respects its human and social

dimensions. (LS 137)
















It shows that direct suggestions in the encyclical letter Laudato Si’ can be

identified by the presence of first person singular I and the use of verbs such as to

suggest, to offer which indicate that the utterances are direct suggestions.

The direct directive speech acts that have been analyzed in this study are

recognized as direct requests and direct suggestions while direct commands are

not found. It is clear that each kind of directive speech acts have their own

characteristics. The characteristics of them are mostly recognized from the

linguistics features. The analysis indicates that Father Francis does not use direct

commands in the Encyclical Letter Laudato Si’ even though he has the authority

to do that. Rather than directly command, Father Francis tends to deliver the direct

requests and suggestions in his Encyclical Letter.


65

4.3.2 Characteristics of Indirect Speech Acts

Most of directives utterances in the encyclical letter Laudato Si’ are

indirect directives. The three kinds of directives utterances, which are commands,

requests, and suggestions, are found in the letter. These three kinds have different

characteristics.

4.3.2.1 Characteristics of Indirect Commands

The following table is presented to demonstrate the language constructions

of indirect commands.

Table 4.5 Language Construction of Indirect Commands

No Form Occurences

Frequency %

1 Conditional Sentence construction

1 33,33

2. Assertive Speech Acts

2 66,66

Total

3 100

As the theory presented before, the commands put the authority of the

speaker where the hearers should accept it with the full compliance. In this

context, the hearers or readers belong to the same community where the speaker is

in higher position. Because of this position, the speaker has the authority to give

commands. The indirect commands are mostly presented in the forms of

declarative sentences or assertive speech acts as in the examples below. In these

utterances, Pope Francis state what he believe as the truth or fact.


66


dignity”. (LS 92)

(57). For believers, this becomes a question of fidelity to the Creator,

since God created the world for everyone. Hence every ecological

approach needs to incorporate a social perspective which takes

into account the fundamental rights of the poor and the

underprivileged. (LS 93)

The indirect command is also characterized by the used of conditional

sentence construction as follow.

(58). If the simple fact of being human moves people to care for the

environment of which they are a part, Christians in their turn

“realize that their responsibility within creation, and their duty to-

wards nature and the Creator, are an essential part of their faith”.

It is good for humanity and the world at large when we believers

better recognize the ecological commitments which stem from our

convictions. (LS 64)

4.3.2.2 Characteristics of Indirect Requests

There are many ways in which indirect requests are presented in the

encyclical letter Laudato Si’ of the Holy Father Francis on Care for Our Common

Home. The following table demonstrates the occurrence of language constructions

of indirect requests.

Table 4.6 Language Construction of Indirect Requests

No Form Occurences

Frequency %

1 Reported Speech Acts

5 45.45

2. Assertive Speech Acts

2 18.18

3. Interrogative Forms

2 18.18

4. Deference Strategy 2 18.18


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Total

11 100

The indirect requests based on the analysis are delivered in many ways.

One of them is conveyed by reporting the other‟s directives. In this context, the

Holy Father Francis reports the directives utterances of his predecessors, the saints

or the experts. This kind of directives speech acts is called reported speech acts

which categorized as indirect speech acts. The reported directives can be

recognized by the presence of some verbs which indicate the request utterances.

The examples can be seen as follows.



(60). With paternal concern, Benedict urged us to realize that creation

is harmed “where we ourselves have the final word, where

everything is simply our property and we use it for ourselves alone.

The misuse of creation begins when we no longer recognize any

higher instance than ourselves, when we see nothing else but

ourselves”. (LS 6)

(61). He asks us to replace consumption with sacrifice, greed with

generosity, wastefulness with a spirit of sharing, an asceticism

which “entails learning to give, and not simply to give up. (LS 9)

(62). What is more, Saint Francis, faithful to Scripture, invites us to see

nature as a magnificent book in which God speaks to us and grants

us a glimpse of his infinite beauty and goodness. (LS 12)

It is demonstrated in the theory that indirect speech acts occurred when the

speaker performs speech acts with different force or meaning. In this respect, the

speaker utters an utterance where the meaning of it is not as what is stated in the

utterance. The analysis of the directive speech acts in the Encyclical Letter


68

Laudato Si’ shows that Father Francis use assertive speech acts in order to deliver

his requests. They following utterances present this matter.

(63). We are called to include in our work a dimension of receptivity and

gratuity, which is quite different from mere inactivity. (LS 237)

(64). Everything is interconnected, and this invites us to develop a

spirituality of that global solidarity which flows from the mystery

of the Trinity. (LS 240)

The indirect requests are also presented in the form of interrogative

sentences. The understanding of these utterances requires the contextual aspects in

which the utterances are uttered. This strategy is used to show the degree of

politeness too. Father Francis indirectly requests his readers through questions as

the examples below.

(65). Since everything is interrelated, concern for the protection of

nature is also incompatible with the justification of abortion. How

can we genuinely teach the importance of concern for other

vulnerable beings, however troublesome or inconvenient they may

be, if we fail to protect a human embryo, even when its presence is


(66). What kind of world do we want to leave to those who come after

us, to children who are now growing up? (LS 160)

The use of politeness strategy in delivering indirect requests is also found

in the analysis. It is explained in theoretical review that deference strategy

includes expressions that refer to neither the speaker nor the hearer. The absence

of personal claims is associated with deference strategy. The analysis of the

directive speech acts in the Encyclical Letter Laudato Si’ shows that this strategy

is used in delivering the indirect requests as the examples below.


69






Creator. (LS 83)

4.3.2.3 Characteristics of Indirect Suggestions

Most of directive speech acts that have been analyzed in this study are

indirect suggestions. The high numbers of indirect suggestions shows that Father

Francis prefers to give suggestions rather than requests or commands. It means

that the encyclical letter Laudato Si’ of the Holy Father Francis on Care for Our

Common Home contains judgments of Father Francis dealing with the ecological

and environmental crisis. These suggestions are characterized by some specific

language constructions. Table 4.7 presents the language constructions of indirect

suggestions.

Table 4.7 Language Construction of Indirect Suggestions

No Form Occurences

Frequency %

1 Aspect of modality

38 39.58

2. Interrogative forms

1 1.04

3. Assertive speech acts

51 53.12

4. Conditional sentence constructions

3 3.12

5. Reported Speech Acts

3 3.12

Total

96 100


70

The indirect suggestions based on the analysis are also presented in many

ways. The use of modal verbs such as must, have to, ought to, should in indirect

suggestions are found in the analysis. The use of these modals indicates that the

utterances are indirect suggestions. They can be seen in the following examples.

(69). Human beings must intervene when a geosystem reaches a critical

state. (LS 34)

(70). We must be grateful for the praiseworthy efforts being made by

scientists and engineers dedicated to finding solutions to man-

made problems. (LS 34)

(71). Today, however, we have to realize that a true ecological

approach always becomes a social approach; it must integrate

questions of justice in debates on the environment, so as to hear

both the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor. (LS 49)

(72). The developed countries ought to help pay this debt by

significantly limiting their consumption of non-renewable energy

and by assisting poorer countries to support policies and

programmes of sustainable development. (LS 52)

(73). Due to the number and variety of factors to be taken into account

when determining the environmental impact of a concrete

undertaking, it is essential to give researchers their due role, to

facilitate their interaction, and to ensure broad academic freedom.

Ongoing research should also give us a better understanding of

how different creatures relate to one another in making up the

larger units which today we term “ecosystems”. (LS 140)

(74). Environmental impact assessment should not come after the

drawing up of a business proposition or the proposal of a

particular policy, plan or programme. It should be part of the

process from the beginning, and be carried out in a way which is

interdisciplinary, transparent and free of all economic or political

pressure. It should be linked to a study of working conditions and

possible effects on people’s physical and mental health, on the

local economy and on public safety. Economic returns can thus be

forecast more realistically, taking into account potential scenarios

and the eventual need for further investment to correct possible

undesired effects. A consensus should always be reached between

the different stakeholders, who can offer a variety of approaches,

solutions and alternatives. The local population should have a


71

special place at the table; they are concerned about their own fu-

ture and that of their children, and can consider goals

transcending immediate economic interest. We need to stop

thinking in terms of “interventions” to save the environment in

favour of policies developed and debated by all interested parties.

The participation of the latter also entails being fully informed

about such projects and their different risks and possibilities; this

includes not just preliminary decisions but also various follow-up

activities and continued monitoring. Honesty and truth are needed

in scientific and political discussions; these should not be limited

to the issue of whether or not a particular project is permitted by

law. (LS 183)

(75). The majority of people living on our planet profess to be believers.

This should spur religions to dialogue among themselves for the

sake of protecting nature, defending the poor, and building

networks of respect and fraternity. (LS 201)

The indirect suggestions are also presented in the form of interrogative

sentences. The contextual aspects are essential in comprehending these kinds of

utterances. The examples of the indirect suggestion in the form of interrogative

sentence can be seen as follow.

(76). “Who turned the wonderworld of the seas into underwater

cemeteries bereft of colour and life?” This phenomenon is due

largely to pollution which reaches the sea as the result of

deforestation, agricultural monocultures, industrial waste and

destructive fishing methods, especially those using cyanide and

dynamite. (LS 41)

The indirect suggestions are also presented in the form of other speech acts

that is assertive speech acts. This kind of speech acts deals with what the speaker

know or believe and can be justified either true of false. The indirect suggestions

in the encyclical letter Laudato Si’ are also presented in this way as the examples

below.


72




change. (LS 13)




(79). There is an urgent need to develop policies so that, in the next few

years, the emission of carbon dioxide and other highly polluting

gases can be drastically reduced, for example, substituting for

fossil fuels and developing sources of renewable energy. (LS 26)

(80). There is still a need to develop adequate storage technologies. (LS

26)




The way in which Father Francis delivers his indirect suggestions is also

by giving the possibilities of doing something. It means that Father Francis

presents his indirect suggestions by using conditional sentences and let the readers

to think of it. In this way, the indirect suggestions are presented in the form of

conditional sentences as in the following examples.

(82). If we approach nature and the environment without this openness

to awe and wonder, if we no longer speak the language of

fraternity and beauty in our relationship with the world, our at-

titude will be that of masters, consumers, ruthless exploiters,

unable to set limits on their immediate needs. By contrast, if we

feel intimately united with all that exists, then sobriety and care

will well up spontaneously. (LS 11)

(83). Where certain species are destroyed or seriously harmed, the

values involved are incalculable. We can be silent witnesses to

terrible injustices if we think that we can obtain significant benefits

by making the rest of humanity, present and future, pay the

extremely high costs of environmental deterioration. (LS 36)


73

(84). If the present ecological crisis is one small sign of the ethical,

cultural and spiritual crisis of modernity, we cannot presume to

heal our relationship with nature and the environment without

healing all fundamental human relationships. (LS 119)

(85). If we reflect on the proper relationship between human beings and

the world around us, we see the need for a correct understanding

of work; if we talk about the relationship between human beings

and things, the question arises as to the meaning and purpose of

all human activity. (LS 125)

The indirect suggestions are also presented by reporting other‟s opinions

which is called reported speech acts. The following examples are reported speech

acts recognized as indirect suggestions.

(86). Saint John Paul II became increasingly concerned about this

issue. In his first Encyclical he warned that human beings

frequently seem “to see no other meaning in their natural environ-

ment than what serves for immediate use and consumption”. (LS 5)

(87). At the same time, Bartholomew has drawn attention to the ethical

and spiritual roots of environmental problems, which require that

we look for solutions not only in technology but in a change of

humanity; otherwise we would be dealing merely with symptoms.

(LS 9)

(88). Any approach to an integral ecology, which by definition does not

exclude human beings, needs to take account of the value of

labour, as Saint John Paul II wisely noted in his Encyclical

Laborem Exercens. (LS 124)

It is mentioned in the theory that the presence of first person singular

indicates the directness. The analysis of direct directives proves that direct

requests can be characterized by the use of first singular person I. It is followed by

the use of illocutionary verbs such as appeal, invites, wish and so on. This

combination is used in direct requests identified in the encyclical letter Laudato

Si’. The use of verb let in formal use let us commonly used in requesting. It is at


74

the beginning of an utterance in common and directly creates a request. It is same

for direct suggestions. The presence of first singular person I, followed by the

illocutionary verbs such as suggest and offer, constitutes the direct suggestions.

The indirect directives explained so far proves that the speaker uses one

speech acts to perform the other. The use of assertive speech acts to perform

directives is commonly found in the text. The use of interrogative construction is

also used to perform indirectness. The numbers of indirect directives is high based

on the analysis. What is more, the indirectness is motivated by the term politeness.

It used by Pope Francis to soften the directive utterances and not to impose his

power in delivering directives.

The classification of directive speech acts into commands, requests and

suggestions is grounded by the degree of authority of the speaker in uttering

directives. In commanding, the speaker is in authority. As the consequence, the

hearers should accept the command. Requesting in other side, does not put the

authority of the speaker in delivering request. The hearers may or may not accept

the speaker‟s wishes. Suggesting is governed by the speaker‟s judgment on

something.

4.4 Personalities of Pope Francis

This section describes how the personalities of Pope Francis are reflected

through the directive speech acts. The frequency of directives utterances in the

Encyclical Letter Laudato Si’ is significant to know the personalities of Pope

Francis. As table 4.1 presents, the number of indirect directives speech acts is


75

higher than direct directives speech acts. Since the indirectness is motivated by

politeness, it is clear that Pope Francis is a polite person.

The politeness of Pope Francis is also reflected in some directives

utterances as in the following examples.






Creator. (LS 83)

In these examples, Pope Francis uses deference strategy for requesting. The

politeness lays on the way he addresses the target of requests. By using neutral

language to select the subjects of the utterances such as humanity and human

beings, he shows the high degree of politeness.

The politeness also lays on the use of modal would to soften the requests

and suggestions as in the following utterances.

(91). Here, I would echo that courageous challenge: “As never before

in history, common destiny beckons us to seek a new beginning…

Let ours be a time remembered for the awakening of a new

reverence for life, the firm resolve to achieve sustainability, the

quickening of the struggle for justice and peace, and the joyful

celebration of life”. (LS 207)

(92). Here, though, I would stress the great importance of the family,

which is “the place in which life – the gift of God (LS 213)








76










The directive utterances in the Encyclical Letter Laudato Si’ also reflect

the characteristics of Pope Francis in leadership. As the leader of Catholic Roman

Church, Pope Francis in fact has authority and power to give commands to the

members of the church. The analysis of directive utterances in his Encyclical

Letter Laduato Si’ shows that Pope Francis does not impose his authority in

giving directions. It can be seen by the low number of direct directives as seen in

table 4.1. The low number of commands for example, implies that Pope Fracis is

humble in leadership.

His humanist leadership is also reflected in some directive utterances in

the Encyclical Letter Laudato Si’. It derives from the content of his directive

speech acts. He takes humanity as the base for every acts dealing with ecological

and environmental solving problems. That is why in many of his directive speech

acts in the Encyclical Letter Laudato Si’, he encourages the aspects of humanity.

Father Francis speaks about the dignity of human beings; the right that human

beings have that makes us free to choose and to be changed. They can be seen in

the following examples.


77

(94). He asks us to replace consumption with sacrifice, greed with

generosity, wastefulness with a spirit of sharing, an asceticism

which “entails learning to give, and not simply to give up. (LS 9)




(96). When nature is viewed solely as a source of profit and gain, this

has serious consequences for society. This vision of “might is

right” has engendered immense inequality, injustice and acts of

violence against the majority of humanity, since resources end up

in the hands of the first comer or the most powerful: the winner

takes all. (LS 82)


dignity”. (LS 92)

(98). We were created with a vocation to work. The goal should not be

that technological progress increasingly replace human work, for

this would be detrimental to humanity. (LS 128)

His concern for the poor, vulnerable and indigenous people is also

reflected in many of his directives. It explains why he chooses Francis Asisi as his

name. Saint Francis Asisi was well known through humility, simplicity and

concern for the poor. This is reflected also in the content of directive utterances in

the encyclical letter Laudato Si’. They can be seen in the following examples.

(99). We must continue to be aware that, regarding climate change,

there are differentiated responsibilities. As the United States

bishops have said, greater attention must be given to “the needs of

the poor, the weak and the vulnerable, in a debate often dominated

by more powerful interests”. We need to strengthen the conviction

that we are one single human family. There are no frontiers or

barriers, political or social, behind which we can hide, still less is

there room for the globalization of indifference. (LS 52)

(100). Helping the poor financially must always be a provisional solution

in the face of pressing needs. The broader objective should always

be to allow them a dignified life through work. (LS 128)


78

(101. In this sense, it is essential to show special care for indigenous

communities and their cultural traditions. They are not merely one

minority among others, but should be the principal dialogue

partners, especially when large projects affecting their land are

proposed. (LS 146)






Humbleness of Pope Francis is reflected on the way he uses the refering

expressions in addressing the referents. In many of directive utterances in the

Encyclical Letter Laudato Si‟, Pope Francis uses the personal pronoun we which

means that he is part of us. It indicates that as the leader, Pope Francis is trying to

be closed with his readers. The following utterances show this humility.




(104). We require a new and universal solidarity. As the bishops of

Southern Africa have stated: “Everyone’s talents and involvement

are needed to redress the damage caused by human abuse of God’s

creation”. 22 All of us can cooperate as instruments of God for the

care of creation, each according to his or her own culture,

experience, involvements and talents. (LS 14)

(105). We must continue to be aware that, regarding climate change,

there are differentiated responsibilities. As the United States

bishops have said, greater attention must be given to “the needs of

the poor, the weak and the vulnerable, in a debate often dominated

by more powerful interests”. We need to strengthen the conviction

that we are one single human family. There are no frontiers or

barriers, political or social, behind which we can hide, still less is

there room for the globalization of indifference. (LS 52)

(106). We must regain the conviction that we need one another, that we

have a shared responsibility for others and the world, and that

being good and decent are worth it. (LS 229)


79

Pope Francis also shows the humility in reffering others. The use of the

official name or tittle of referents indicates that Pope Francis is humble. The

examples are stated below.

(107). Saint John Paul II became increasingly concerned about this

issue. In his first Encyclical he warned that human beings

frequently seem “to see no other meaning in their natural environ-

ment than what serves for immediate use and consumption”. (LS 5)



(109). What is more, Saint Francis, faithful to Scripture, invites us to see

nature as a magnificent book in which God speaks to us and grants

us a glimpse of his infinite beauty and goodness. (LS 12)

(110). We require a new and universal solidarity. As the bishops of

Southern Africa have stated: “Everyone’s talents and involvement

are needed to redress the damage caused by human abuse of God’s

creation”. 22 All of us can cooperate as instruments of God for the

care of creation, each according to his or her own culture,

experience, involvements and talents. (LS 14)

(111). Saint Therese of Lisieux invites us to practise the little way of

love, not to miss out on a kind word, a smile or any small gesture

which sows peace and friendship. An integral ecology is also made

up of simple daily gestures which break with the logic of violence,


Pope Francis echoes that love is powerfull. Loving kindness of Pope

Francis is reflected in some of his directive utterances in the Encyclical Letter

Laudato Si’. It deals with the content/topic of the language use which represents

the Pope Francis‟s attitude toward loving kindness.

(112). Because all creatures are connected, each must be cherished with

love and respect, for all of us as living creatures are dependent on

one another. (LS 42)


80

(113). Concern for the environment thus needs to be joined to a sincere

love for our fellow human beings and an unwavering commitment

to resolving the problems of society. (LS 91)




violence. Nonetheless, I wish to insist that love always proves more

powerful. (LS 149)

(115). Believers themselves must constantly feel challenged to live in a

way consonant with their faith and not to contradict it by their

actions. They need to be encouraged to be ever open to God’s

grace and to draw constantly from their deepest convictions about

love, justice and peace. (LS 200)

(116). Saint Therese of Lisieux invites us to practise the little way of love,

not to miss out on a kind word, a smile or any small gesture which

sows peace and friendship. An integral ecology is also made up of

simple daily gestures which break with the logic of violence,


(117). Social love is the key to authentic development: “In order to make

society more human, more worthy of the human person, love in

social life – political, economic and cultural – must be given re-

newed value, becoming the constant and highest norm for all

activity”. (LS 231)

The personal characters of Pope Francis are also depicted through the

linguistics style features that he used in the directive utterances. As the theory

presented before, powerless linguistics style represents the credibility of the

speaker. It depends on the high number of assertives used in the text. The analysis

of the letter shows that Pope Francis uses many assertives in delivering indirect

directives utterances. There are 55 assertives used by Pope Francis in delivering

indirect directives. Some of them can be seen in the following examples.

(118). Every effort to protect and improve our world entails profound

changes in “lifestyles, models of production and consumption, and

the established structures of power which today govern societies”.

(LS 5)


81




change. (LS 13)







(122). It is essential to seek comprehensive solutions which consider the

interactions within natural systems themselves and with social

systems. (LS 139)

It is clear enough to see that there is a relationship between the personal

characteristics of a speaker with the way he uses language. The characteristics can

be reflected from the linguistics features that is used and psycological aspects of

the speaker himself. The personal chracteristics of Pope Francis are reflected in

his directive speech acts in the Encyclical Letter Laudato Si’.


82

CHAPTER 5

CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION

5.1 Conclusion

This part provides the conclusion during the analysis of the data that has

been preceded. The analysis of the data shows that the proportion of indirect

directive speech acts is higher than direct directive speech acts. The analysis of

directive speech acts in the Encyclical Letter Laudato Si’ displays the proportion

of indirect directives with 110 occurences while direct directives with 13

occurences. These directives speech acts are scattered in every section of the

letter. This different proportion signifies that Pope Francis prefers to deliver his

directives in indirect way.

The analysis of the direct directive speech acts demonstrates the

proportion of the three kinds of Directives. The direct directive speech acts are

only recognized as requests with 11 occurances and suggestions with 2

occurances. There is no direct command in the letter. Moreover, the analysis of

the proportion of indirect speech acts indicates that most of indirect directives

speech acts are recognized as suggestions with 96 occurances. The indirect

requests consist of 11 utterances while indirect commands consist of 3 utterances.

Furthermore, the analysis shows that the directive speech acts in the


Common Home have specific characteristics. The three kinds of directives


83

proposed by Kreidler (1998) that have been identified in the letter have their wn

characteristics.

The direct requests can be recognized mostly by the presence of first

person singular and the use of illocutionary verbs which indicate the direct

request. The first singular person I indicates the directness. It is followed by the

use of some verbs that determine the utterances as request such as the verb to

appeal, to invite, to wish, to encourage, to stress, to echo, etc. The direct requests

are also can be recognized by the use of verb to let in the formal form let us which

indicates that the utterances are requests. The use of let us indicates that the

requests are addressed to every one including the speaker. Direct suggestions

based on the analysis have the same pattern with requests. The presence of the

first person singular I, followed by the verbs which indicate the directives speech

acts such as to suggest, to offer, etc, determine the direct suggestion.

The indirect commands are mostly presented in the forms of declarative

sentences or assertive speech acts. The analysis shows that Father Francis gives

commands indirectly through the other speech acts. For commands in which the

authority of the speaker operates, the analysis indicates that Pope Francis does not

stress his authority in delivering commands. For indirect requests, Pope Francis

uses some ways to convey his requests. One of them is conveyed by reporting the

other‟s directives. In this context, the Pope Francis reports the directives

utterances of his predecessors, the saints or the experts. This kind of directives

speech acts is called reported speech acts which categorized as indirect speech

acts. The reported directives can be recognized by the presence of some verbs


84

which indicate the request utterances. The use of politeness strategy in delivering

indirect requests is also found in the analysis. It is explained in theoretical review

that deference strategy includes expressions that refer to neither the speaker nor

the hearer. The absence of personal claims is associated with deference strategy.

The indirect requests are also presented in the form of interrogative sentences. The

understanding of these utterances requires the contextual aspects in which the

utterances are uttered. For indirect suggestions, the analysis shows that Pope

Francis conveys his judgments on what the readers should or should not do. The

use of modal verbs such as must, have to, ought to, should in indirect suggestions

are found in the analysis. The use of these modals indicates that the utterances are

indirect suggestions. It is similar with requests; the indirect suggestions are also

presented in the form of interrogative sentences and through the other kinds of

speech acts that is assertive speech acts. This kind of speech acts deals with what

the speaker knows or believes and can be justified either true of false. Since the

suggestions concern with the speaker judgments, the way in which Pope Francis

delivers his indirect suggestions is also by giving the possibilities of doing

something. It means that Pope Francis presents his indirect suggestions by using

conditional sentences and let the readers to think of it. In this way, the indirect

suggestions are presented in the form of conditional sentences.

The analysis of the data also indicates that language use and

identity/personality is inseparable. The way the speaker uses language is

influenced by the psycological aspects of him. The analysis shows that the

personal characters of Pope Francis are reflected in his direvtives.


85

The frequency of directives utterances in the Encyclical Letter Laudato Si’

is significant to know the personalities of Pope Francis. The number of indirect

directives speech acts is higher than direct directives speech acts. Since the

indirectness sometimes is motivated by politeness, it is clear that Pope Francis is a

polite person. The politeness also reflects in the use of strategy which is deference

strategy in delivering directives. This strategy requires the use of neutral language

which refers to neither the adressee nor the speaker. What is more, the politeness

also reflects in the choice of modal would in many of his directive speech acts.

This modal is used to soften the directive utterances.

The directive utterances in the Encyclical Letter Laudato Si’ also reflect

the characteristics of Pope Francis in leadership. The analysis of directive

utterances in his Encyclical Letter Laduato Si’ shows that Pope Francis does not

impose his authority in giving directions. It can be seen by the low number of

direct directives. The low number of commands for example, implies that Pope

Fracis is humble leader.

The humanist and loving kindness of Pope Francis are reflected in the

content of his directive speech acts in the Encyclical Letter Laudato Si’. He

speaks many times about humanity and love. As the theory presented before, the

content of speech at the same time describes the attitude of the speaker toward the

content itself.

The personality of Pope Francis is also reflected in the way he uses

referring expressions. In many of his directive speech acts, he uses the personal

pronoun we in addressing the target. It means that he is trying to build a closed


86

relationship with his readers due to the personal pronoun we refer to either the

speaker or the addressee. Other directives show the presence of the official name

and title of person he refers to. The humbleness and openness of Pope Francis are

reflected in these ways.

The personal characters of Pope Francis are also depicted through the

linguistics style features that he uses in the directive utterances. Powerlfull

linguistics style represents the credibility of the speaker. It depends on the high

number of assertives used in the text. The analysis of the data shows that Pope

Francis uses many assertives in delivering indirect directives utterances. There are

55 assertives used by Pope Francis in delivering indirect directives. It means that

Pope Francis is credible talking about the ecological and environmental issue.

The personalities of Pope Francis reflected through the directive speech

acts have implication on depicting his personality as the leader of Catholic Roman

Church. It seems that he wants to change the image of a religious organization

leadership. His own image as the leader of Catholic Roman Church is well known

through his simplicity, humbleness and his concern for the poor.

The result of this research is expected to be beneficial for those who

interest in the Encyclical Letter Laudato Si’ and those who have concern on the

ecological issue. It can be the source of the data for the future research since this

research has extracted the directives speech acts from the whole text. Furthermore,

the result of the study is expected to be usefull for the next researcher who intends

to explore what directive speech acts are about. It will also be beneficial to explain

how the relationship between language and identity. In practice, this research can


87

be used as the guidance of what should we do to solve the ecological problems

since Father Francis through the letter more or less give direction for solving the

problems.

5.2 Suggestion

Speech acts is one of common topics in pragmatics study. The utterances

or sentences according to the theory have its purpose such as informing,

persuading, directing, stating, etc. This is what speech acts deals with. Focusing

on directives speech acts in which the utterances have purpose to direct people to

do or not to do something. Directives speech acts assume that the hearers or the

readers get the affect from the utterances uttered by the speaker or writer.

In case of written text as this research deals with, it is more difficult in

analyzing the directives speech acts. It is because the participants involved in the

speech events are not in face to face interaction. Moreover, exploring the written

text needs more attention on the linguistics aspects since this text sometimes is a

formal document. The Encyclical Letter, in which this research concerns about, is

one of Papal communication in Catholic Roman Church. Knowledge and

familiarity on the document like this are necessary prominent.

Directives utterances are mostly recognized by the use of some verbs that

indicate directive forces. Paying attention to these verbs will help the researcher to

recognize directives utterances. Understanding the context of speech events is also

required in analyzing the directives speech acts. It covers the form of text, the


88

purpose, the participants involved in speech events, etc. These will help the next

researcher in analyzing the other written text.

The directives speech acts analysis on the Encyclical Letter Laudato Si’ of

the Holy Father Francis on Care for Our Common Home is just one piece of

research that can be conducted. It is limited on the constructions of the utterances

used in the text. This text still needs more exploration from the other disciplines.

For the next researcher who interests in this text, the result of this study can be

used as the additional information.


89

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Appendices

Appendix 1

Directive Speech Acts in the Encyclical Letter

Table 1.1 Direct Directives in the Preface

No Directives Utterances C R S

1. I urgently appeal, then, for a new dialogue about how

we are shaping the future of our planet. (LS 14)

Table 1.2 Indirect Directives in the preface


2.

3.

4.

5.

Saint John Paul II became increasingly concerned about

this issue. In his first Encyclical he warned that human

beings frequently seem “to see no other meaning in their

natural environment than what serves for immediate use

and consumption”. (LS 5)

Every effort to protect and improve our world entails

profound changes in “lifestyles, models of production

and consumption, and the established structures of power

which today govern societies”. (LS 5) (Assertive)

Pope Benedict asked us to recognize that the natural

environment has been gravely damaged by our

irresponsible behaviour. (LS 6)

With paternal concern, Benedict urged us to realize that

creation is harmed “where we ourselves have the final

word, where everything is simply our property and we

use it for ourselves alone. The misuse of creation begins

when we no longer recognize any higher instance than

ourselves, when we see nothing else but ourselves”. (LS

6)


93

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

At the same time, Bartholomew has drawn attention to

the ethical and spiritual roots of environmental problems,

which require that we look for solutions not only in

technology but in a change of humanity; otherwise we

would be dealing merely with symptoms. (LS 9)

He asks us to replace consumption with sacrifice, greed

with generosity, wastefulness with a spirit of sharing, an

asceticism which “entails learning to give, and not

simply to give up. (LS 9)

If we approach nature and the environment without this

openness to awe and wonder, if we no longer speak the

language of fraternity and beauty in our relationship with

the world, our attitude will be that of masters,

consumers, ruthless exploiters, unable to set limits on

their immediate needs. By contrast, if we feel intimately

united with all that exists, then sobriety and care will

well up spontaneously.(LS 11) (Conditional

Construction)

What is more, Saint Francis, faithful to Scripture, invites

us to see nature as a magnificent book in which God

speaks to us and grants us a glimpse of his infinite beauty

and goodness. (LS 12)

The urgent challenge to protect our common home

includes a concern to bring the whole human family

together to seek a sustainable and integral development,

for we know that things can change. (LS 13) (Assertive)

Young people demand change. They wonder how

anyone can claim to be building a better future without

thinking of the environmental crisis and the sufferings of

the excluded. (LS 13) (Assertive)

We need a conversation which includes everyone, since

the environmental challenge we are undergoing, and its

human roots, concern and affect us all. (LS 14)

(Assertive)

We require a new and universal solidarity. As the

bishops of Southern Africa have stated: “Everyone‟s

talents and involvement are needed to redress the

damage caused by human abuse of God‟s creation”. 22

All of us can cooperate as instruments of God for the


94

care of creation, each according to his or her own

culture, experience, involvements and talents. (LS 14)

(Assertive)

Table 1.3 Direct Directives in the first chapter: What is Happening to Our

Common Home


14.

Let us review, however cursorily, those questions

which are troubling us today and which we can no

longer sweep under the carpet. Our goal is not to

amass information or to satisfy curiosity, but rather to

become painfully aware, to dare to turn what is

happening to the world into our own personal

suffering and thus to discover what each of us can do

about it. (LS 19)

Table 1.4 Indirect Directives in the first chapter: What is Happening to Our

Common Home


15.

16.

17.

Technology, which, linked to business interests, is

presented as the only way of solving these problems, in

fact proves incapable of seeing the mysterious network

of relations between things and so sometimes solves one

problem only to create others. (LS 20) (Assertive)

To cite one example, most of the paper we produce is

thrown away and not recycled. (LS 22) (Assertive)

But our industrial system, at the end of its cycle of

production and consumption, has not developed the

capacity to absorb and reuse waste and by-products. We

have not yet managed to adopt a circular model of

production capable of preserving resources for present

and future generations, while limiting as much as

possible the use of non-renewable resources, moderating

their consumption, maximizing their efficient use,

reusing and recycling them. (LS 22) (Assertive)


95

18.

19.

20.

21.

22.

23.

24.

25.

26.

Humanity is called to recognize the need for changes of

lifestyle, production and consumption, in order to combat

this warming or at least the human causes which produce

or aggravate it. (LS 23)

There is an urgent need to develop policies so that, in the

next few years, the emission of carbon dioxide and other

highly polluting gases can be drastically reduced, for

example, substituting for fossil fuels and developing

sources of renewable energy. (LS 26) (Assertive) There is still a need to develop adequate storage

technologies. (LS 26) (Assertive)

Yet access to safe drinkable water is a basic and

universal human right, since it is essential to human

survival and, as such, is a condition for the exercise of

other human rights. (LS 30) (Assertive)

Human beings must intervene when a geosystem reaches

a critical state. (LS 34)

We must be grateful for the praiseworthy efforts being

made by scientists and engineers dedicated to finding

solutions to man-made problems. (LS 34)

Where certain species are destroyed or seriously harmed,

the values involved are incalculable. We can be silent

witnesses to terrible injustices if we think that we can

obtain significant benefits by making the rest of

humanity, present and future, pay the extremely high

costs of environmental deterioration. (LS 36)

(Conditional Construction)

Certain places need greater protection because of their

immense importance for the global ecosystem, or

because they represent important water reserves and thus

safeguard other forms of life. (LS 37) (Assertive)

What is more, marine life in rivers, lakes, seas and

oceans, which feeds a great part of the world‟s

population, is affected by uncontrolled fishing, leading to

a drastic depletion of certain species. Selective forms of

fishing which discard much of what they collect continue

unabated. (LS 40) (Assertive)


96

27.

28.

29.

30.

31.

“Who turned the wonderworld of the seas into under-

water cemeteries bereft of colour and life?” This

phenomenon is due largely to pollution which reaches

the sea as the result of deforestation, agricultural

monocultures, industrial waste and destructive fishing

methods, especially those using cyanide and dynamite.

(LS 41) (Assertive)

Greater investment needs to be made in research aimed

at understanding more fully the functioning of

ecosystems and adequately analyzing the different

variables associated with any significant modification of

the environment. (LS 42) (Assertive)

Because all creatures are connected, each must be

cherished with love and respect, for all of us as living

creatures are dependent on one another. (LS 42)

Human beings too are creatures of this world, enjoying a

right to life and happiness, and endowed with unique

dignity. So we cannot fail to consider the effects on

people‟s lives of environmental deterioration, current

models of development and the throwaway culture. (LS

43) (Assertive)

Furthermore, when media and the digital world become

omnipresent, their influence can stop people from

learning how to live wisely, to think deeply and to love

generously. In this context, the great sages of the past run

the risk of going unheard amid the noise and distractions

of an information overload. Efforts need to be made to

help these media become sources of new cultural

progress for humanity and not a threat to our deepest

riches. True wisdom, as the fruit of self-examination,

dialogue and generous encounter between persons, is not

acquired by a mere accumulation of data which eventu-

ally leads to overload and confusion, a sort of mental

pollution. Real relationships with others, with all the

challenges they entail, now tend to be replaced by a type

of internet communication which enables us to choose or

eliminate relationships at whim, thus giving rise to a new

type of contrived emotion which has more to do with

devices and displays than with other people and with

nature. Today‟s media do enable us to communicate and

to share our knowledge and affections. Yet at times they

also shield us from direct contact with the pain, the fears


97

32.

33.

34.

35.

36.

37.

and the joys of others and the complexity of their

personal experiences. For this reason, we should be con-

cerned that, alongside the exciting possibilities offered

by these media, a deep and melancholic dissatisfaction

with interpersonal relations, or a harmful sense of

isolation, can also arise. (LS 47) (Assertive)

Today, however, we have to realize that a true ecological

approach always becomes a social approach; it must

integrate questions of justice in debates on the

environment, so as to hear both the cry of the earth and

the cry of the poor. (LS 49)

The developed countries ought to help pay this debt by

significantly limiting their consumption of non-

renewable energy and by assisting poorer countries to

support policies and programmes of sustainable

development. (LS 52)

We must continue to be aware that, regarding climate

change, there are differentiated responsibilities. As the

United States bishops have said, greater attention must

be given to “the needs of the poor, the weak and the

vulnerable, in a debate often dominated by more

powerful interests”. We need to strengthen the

conviction that we are one single human family. There

are no frontiers or barriers, political or social, behind

which we can hide, still less is there room for the

globalization of indifference. (LS 52)

Politics must pay greater attention to foreseeing new

conflicts and addressing the causes which can lead to

them. (LS 57)

Such evasiveness serves as a licence to carrying on with

our present lifestyles and models of production and

consumption. This is the way human beings contrive to

feed their self-destructive vices: trying not to see them,

trying not to acknowledge them, delaying the important

decisions and pretending that nothing will happen. (LS

59) (Assertive)

On many concrete questions, the Church has no reason to

offer a definitive opinion; she knows that honest debate

must be encouraged among experts, while respecting

divergent views. (LS 61)


98

38.

Hope would have us recognize that there is always a way

out, that we can always redirect our steps, that we can

always do something to solve our problems. (LS 61) (Assertive)

Table 1.5 Indirect Directives in the second chapter: The Gospel of Creation


39.

40.

41.

42.

43.

I am well aware that in the areas of politics and

philosophy there are those who firmly reject the idea of a

Creator, or consider it irrelevant, and consequently dis-

miss as irrational the rich contribution which religions

can make towards an integral ecology and the full

development of humanity. (LS 62) (Assertive)

Given the complexity of the ecological crisis and its

multiple causes, we need to realize that the solutions will

not emerge from just one way of interpreting and

transforming reality. Respect must also be shown for the

various cultural riches of different peoples, their art and

poetry, their interior life and spirituality. (LS 63)

If the simple fact of being human moves people to care

for the environment of which they are a part, Christians

in their turn “realize that their responsibility within

creation, and their duty towards nature and the Creator,

are an essential part of their faith”.It is good for

humanity and the world at large when we believers better

recognize the ecological commitments which stem from

our convictions. (LS 64) (Conditional Construction)

The creation accounts in the book of Genesis contain, in

their own symbolic and narrative language, profound

teachings about human existence and its historical

reality. They suggest that human life is grounded in three

fundamental and closely intertwined relationships: with

God, with our neighbour and with the earth itself. (LS

66)

Although it is true that we Christians have at times

incorrectly interpreted the Scriptures, nowadays we must

forcefully reject the notion that our being created in

God‟s image and given dominion over the earth justifies


99

44.

45.

46.

47.

48.

49.

50.

51.

absolute domination over other creatures. (LS 67)

This implies a relationship of mutual responsibility

between human beings and nature. Each community can

take from the bounty of the earth whatever it needs for

subsistence, but it also has the duty to protect the earth

and to ensure its fruitfulness for coming generations. (LS

67) (Assertive)

This responsibility for God‟s earth means that human

beings, endowed with intelligence, must respect the laws

of nature and the delicate equilibria existing between the

creatures of this world. (LS 68)

When nature is viewed solely as a source of profit and

gain, this has serious consequences for society. This

vision of “might is right” has engendered immense

inequality, injustice and acts of violence against the

majority of humanity, since resources end up in the

hands of the first comer or the most powerful: the winner

takes all. (LS 82) (Assertive)

Human beings, endowed with intelligence and love, and

drawn by the fullness of Christ, are called to lead all

creatures back to their Creator. (LS 83)

Concern for the environment thus needs to be joined to a

sincere love for our fellow human beings and an

unwavering commitment to resolving the problems of

society. (LS 91) (Assertive)

Every act of cruelty towards any creature is “contrary to

human dignity”. (LS 92) (Assertive)

“Peace, justice and the preservation of creation are three

absolutely interconnected themes, which cannot be

separated and treated individually without once again

falling into reductionism”. Everything is related, and we

human beings are united as brothers and sisters on a

wonderful pilgrimage, woven together by the love God

has for each of his creatures and which also unites us in

fond affection with brother sun, sister moon, brother

river and mother earth. (LS 92) (Assertive)

For believers, this becomes a question of fidelity to the

Creator, since God created the world for everyone.


100

52.

Hence every ecological approach needs to incorporate a

social perspective which takes into account the

fundamental rights of the poor and the underprivileged.

(LS 93) (Assertive)

This right must be guaranteed so that its exercise is not

illusory but real. That means that apart from the

ownership of property, rural people must have access to

means of technical education, credit, insurance, and

markets”. (LS 94)

Table 1.6 Indirect Directives in the third chapter: The Human Roots of the

Ecological Crisis


53.

54.

55.

It would hardly be helpful to describe symptoms without

acknowledging the human origins of the ecological

crisis. A certain way of understanding human life and

activity has gone awry, to the serious detriment of the

world around us. Should we not pause and consider this?

(LS 101) (Interrogative Form)

All of this shows the urgent need for us to move forward

in a bold cultural revolution. Science and technology are

not neutral; from the beginning to the end of a process,

various intentions and possibilities are in play and can

take on distinct shapes. Nobody is suggesting a return to

the Stone Age, but we do need to slow down and look at

reality in a different way, to appropriate the positive and

sustainable progress which has been made, but also to

recover the values and the great goals swept away by our

unrestrained delusions of grandeur. (LS 114) (Assertive)

When human beings fail to find their true place in this

world, they misunderstand themselves and end up acting

against themselves: “Not only has God given the earth to

man, who must use it with respect for the original good

purpose for which it was given, but, man too is God‟s

gift to man. He must therefore respect the natural and

moral structure with which he has been endowed”. (LS

115)


101

56.

57.

58.

59.

60.

61.

62.

63.

Instead, our “dominion” over the universe should be

understood more properly in the sense of responsible

stewardship. (LS 116)

There can be no renewal of our relationship with nature

without a renewal of humanity itself. (LS 118)

(Assertive)

If the present ecological crisis is one small sign of the

ethical, cultural and spiritual crisis of modernity, we

cannot presume to heal our relationship with nature and

the environment without healing all fundamental human

relationships. (LS 119) (Conditional Construction)

Since everything is interrelated, concern for the

protection of nature is also incompatible with the

justification of abortion. How can we genuinely teach the

importance of concern for other vulnerable beings,

however troublesome or inconvenient they may be, if we

fail to protect a human embryo, even when its presence is


(Conditional Construction)

We need to develop a new synthesis capable of

overcoming the false arguments of recent centuries. (LS

121) (Assertive)

Any approach to an integral ecology, which by definition

does not exclude human beings, needs to take account of

the value of labour, as Saint John Paul II wisely noted in

his Encyclical Laborem Exercens. (LS 124) (Assertive)

If we reflect on the proper relationship between human

beings and the world around us, we see the need for a

correct understanding of work; if we talk about the

relationship between human beings and things, the

question arises as to the meaning and purpose of all

human activity. (LS 125) (Conditional Construction)

We need to remember that men and women have “the

capacity to improve their lot, to further their moral

growth and to develop their spiritual endowments”.102

Work should be the setting for this rich personal growth,

where many aspects of life enter into play: creativity,

planning for the future, developing our talents, living out

our values, relating to others, giving glory to God. (LS


102

64.

65.

66.

67.

127)

We were created with a vocation to work. The goal

should not be that technological progress increasingly

replace human work, for this would be detrimental to

humanity. (LS 128)

Helping the poor financially must always be a

provisional solution in the face of pressing needs. The

broader objective should always be to allow them a

dignified life through work. (LS 128)

In order to continue providing employment, it is

imperative to promote an economy which favours

productive diversity and business creativity. For

example, there is a great variety of small-scale food

production systems which feed the greater part of the

world‟s peoples, using a modest amount of land and

producing less waste, be it in small agricultural parcels,

in orchards and gardens, hunting and wild harvesting or

local fishing. (LS 129)

We need constantly to rethink the goals, effects, overall

context and ethical limits of this human activity, which is

a form of power involving considerable risks. (LS 131)

(Assertive)

Table 1.7 Direct Directives in the fourth chapter: Integral Ecology


68.

69.

Since everything is closely interrelated, and today‟s

problems call for a vision capable of taking into account

every aspect of the global crisis, I suggest that we now

consider some elements of an integral ecology, one

which clearly respects its human and social dimensions.

(LS 137)

In the unstable neighbourhoods of mega-cities, the daily

experience of overcrowding and social anonymity can

create a sense of uprootedness which spawns antisocial

behaviour and violence. Nonetheless, I wish to insist

that love always proves more powerful. (LS 149)


103

70.

Let us not only keep the poor of the future in mind, but

also today‟s poor, whose life on this earth is brief and

who cannot keep on waiting. Hence, “in addition to a

fairer sense of intergenerational solidarity there is also an

urgent moral need for a renewed sense of

intragenerational solidarity”.(LS 162)

Table 1.8 Indirect Directives in the fourth chapter: Integral Ecology


71.

72.

73.

74.

75.

It is essential to seek comprehensive solutions which

consider the interactions within natural systems

themselves and with social systems. (LS 139) (Assertive)

Due to the number and variety of factors to be taken into

account when determining the environmental impact of a

concrete undertaking, it is essential to give researchers

their due role, to facilitate their interaction, and to ensure

broad academic freedom. Ongoing research should also

give us a better understanding of how different creatures

relate to one another in making up the larger units which

today we term “ecosystems”. (LS 140)

We need only recall how ecosystems interact in

dispersing carbon dioxide, purifying water, controlling

illnesses and epidemics, forming soil, breaking down

waste, and in many other ways which we overlook or

simply ignore. (LS 140) (Assertive)

So, when we speak of “sustainable use”, consideration

must always be given to each ecosystem‟s regenerative

ability in its different areas and aspects. (LS 140)

Economic growth, for its part, tends to produce

predictable reactions and a certain standardization with

the aim of simplifying procedures and reducing costs.

This suggests the need for an “economic ecology”

capable of appealing to a broader vision of reality. The

protection of the environment is in fact “an integral part

of the development process and cannot be considered in

isolation from it”. We urgently need a humanism capable

of bringing together the different fields of knowledge,

including economics, in the service of a more integral

and integrating vision. (LS 141)


104

76.

77.

78.

79.

80.

81.

82.

As life and the world are dynamic realities, so our care

for the world must also be flexible and dynamic. (LS

144)

In this sense, it is essential to show special care for

indigenous communities and their cultural traditions.

They are not merely one minority among others, but

should be the principal dialogue partners, especially

when large projects affecting their land are proposed.

(LS 146)

Given the interrelationship between living space and

human behaviour, those who design buildings,

neighbourhoods, public spaces and cities, ought to draw

on the various disciplines which help us to understand

people‟s thought processes, symbolic language and ways

of acting. It is not enough to seek the beauty of design.

More precious still is the service we offer to another kind

of beauty: people‟s quality of life, their adaptation to the

environment, encounter and mutual assistance. (LS 150)

There is also a need to protect those common areas,

visual landmarks and urban landscapes which increase

our sense of belonging, of rootedness, of “feeling at

home” within a city which includes us and brings us

together. (LS 151) (Assertive)

When the poor live in unsanitary slums or in dangerous

tenements, “in cases where it is necessary to relocate

them, in order not to heap suffering upon suffering,

adequate information needs to be given beforehand, with

choices of decent housing offered, and the people

directly involved must be part of the process”. (LS 152)

Finally, the common good calls for social peace, the

stability and security provided by a certain order which

cannot be achieved without particular concern for distrib-

utive justice; whenever this is violated, violence always

ensues. Society as a whole, and the state in particular,

are obliged to defend and promote the common good.

(LS 157)

What kind of world do we want to leave to those who

come after us, to children who are now growing up? (LS

160) (Interrogative Form)


105

83.

84.

What is the purpose of our life in this world? Why are

we here? What is the goal of our work and all our

efforts? What need does the earth have of us? It is no

longer enough, then, simply to state that we should be

concerned for future generations. We need to see that

what is at stake is our own dignity. (LS 160)

The effects of the present imbalance can only be reduced

by our decisive action, here and now. We need to reflect

on our accountability before those who will have to

endure the dire consequences. (LS 161) (Assertive)

Table 1.9 Direct Directives in the fifth chapter: Line of Approach and Action


85.

Here I would state once more that the Church does not

presume to settle scientific questions or to replace

politics. But I am concerned to encourage an honest

and open debate so that particular interests or ideologies

will not prejudice the common good. (LS 188)

Table 1.10 Indirect Directives in the fifth chapter: Line of Approach and

Action


86.

87.

Such a consensus could lead, for example, to planning a

sustainable and diversified agriculture, developing

renewable and less polluting forms of energy,

encouraging a more efficient use of energy, promoting a

better management of marine and forest resources, and

ensuring universal access to drinking water. (LS 164)

(Assertive)

Some strategies for lowering pollutant gas emissions

call for the internationalization of environmental costs,

which would risk imposing on countries with fewer

resources burdensome commitments to reducing

emissions comparable to those of the more

industrialized countries. (LS 170) (Assertive)


106

88.

89.

90.

91.

92.

93.

Furthermore, since the effects of climate change will be

felt for a long time to come, even if stringent measures

are taken now, some countries with scarce resources

will require assistance in adapting to the effects already

being produced, which affect their economies. In this

context, there is a need for common and differentiated

responsibilities. (LS 170) (Assertive)

For poor countries, the priorities must be to eliminate

extreme poverty and to promote the social development

of their people. At the same time, they need to

acknowledge the scandalous level of consumption in

some privileged sectors of their population and to

combat corruption more effectively. (LS 172)

Enforceable international agreements are urgently

needed, since local authorities are not always capable of

effective intervention. Relations between states must be

respectful of each other‟s sovereignty, but must also lay

down mutually agreed means of averting regional

disasters which would eventually affect everyone.

Global regulatory norms are needed to impose obliga-

tions and prevent unacceptable actions, for example,

when powerful companies or countries dump

contaminated waste or offshore polluting industries in

other countries. (LS 173)

The growing problem of marine waste and the

protection of the open seas represent particular

challenges. What is needed, in effect, is an agreement

on systems of governance for the whole range of so-

called “global commons”. (LS 174)

Questions related to the environment and economic

development can no longer be approached only from the

standpoint of differences between countries; they also

call for greater attention to policies on the national and

local levels. (LS 176)

There is a growing jurisprudence dealing with the

reduction of pollution by business activities. But

political and institutional frameworks do not exist

simply to avoid bad practice, but also to promote best

practice, to stimulate creativity in seeking new solutions

and to encourage individual or group initiatives. (LS

177) (Assertive)


107

94.

95.

96.

97.

98.

99.

Because the enforcement of laws is at times inadequate

due to corruption, public pressure has to be exerted in

order to bring about decisive political action. Society,

through non-governmental organizations and

intermediate groups, must put pressure on governments

to develop more rigorous regulations, procedures and

controls. (LS 179)

At the same time, on the national and local levels, much

still needs to be done, such as promoting ways of

conserving energy. These would include favouring

forms of industrial production with maximum energy

efficiency and diminished use of raw materials,

removing from the market products which are less

energy efficient or more polluting, improving transport

systems, and encouraging the construction and repair of

buildings aimed at reducing their energy consumption

and levels of pollution. (LS 180) (Assertive)

Political activity on the local level could also be

directed to modifying consumption, developing an

economy of waste disposal and recycling, protecting

certain species and planning a diversified agriculture

and the rotation of crops. Agriculture in poorer regions

can be improved through investment in rural

infrastructures, a better organization of local or national

markets, systems of irrigation, and the development of

techniques of sustainable agriculture. New forms of

cooperation and community organization can be

encouraged in order to defend the interests of small

producers and preserve local ecosystems from

destruction. Truly, much can be done! (LS 180)

(Assertive)

A healthy politics is sorely needed, capable of

reforming and coordinating institutions, promoting best

practices and overcoming undue pressure and

bureaucratic inertia. (LS 181) (Assertive)

An assessment of the environmental impact of business

ventures and projects demands transparent political

processes involving a free exchange of views. (LS 182)

(Assertive)

Environmental impact assessment should not come


108

100.

101.

102.

after the drawing up of a business proposition or the

proposal of a particular policy, plan or programme. It

should be part of the process from the beginning, and

be carried out in a way which is interdisciplinary,

transparent and free of all economic or political

pressure. It should be linked to a study of working con-

ditions and possible effects on people‟s physical and

mental health, on the local economy and on public

safety. Economic returns can thus be forecast more

realistically, taking into account potential scenarios and

the eventual need for further investment to correct

possible undesired effects. A consensus should always

be reached between the different stakeholders, who can

offer a variety of approaches, solutions and alternatives.

The local population should have a special place at the

table; they are concerned about their own future and that

of their children, and can consider goals transcending

immediate economic interest. We need to stop thinking

in terms of “interventions” to save the environment in

favour of policies developed and debated by all

interested parties. The participation of the latter also

entails being fully informed about such projects and

their different risks and possibilities; this includes not

just preliminary decisions but also various follow-up

activities and continued monitoring. Honesty and truth

are needed in scientific and political discussions; these

should not be limited to the issue of whether or not a

particular project is permitted by law. (LS 183)

In the face of possible risks to the environment which

may affect the common good now and in the future,

decisions must be made “based on a comparison of the

risks and benefits foreseen for the various possible

alternatives”. (LS 184)

Politics must not be subject to the economy, nor should

the economy be subject to the dictates of an efficiency-

driven paradigm of technocracy. Today, in view of the

common good, there is urgent need for politics and

economics to enter into a frank dialogue in the service

of life, especially human life. (LS 189)

Here too, it should always be kept in mind that

“environmental protection cannot be assured solely on

the basis of financial calculations of costs and benefits.

The environment is one of those goods that cannot be


109

103.

104.

105.

adequately safeguarded or promoted by market forces”.

Once more, we need to reject a magical conception of

the market, which would suggest that problems can be

solved simply by an increase in the profits of companies

or individuals. (LS 190)

A strategy for real change calls for rethinking processes

in their entirety, for it is not enough to include a few

superficial ecological considerations while failing to

question the logic which underlies present-day culture.

A healthy politics needs to be able to take up this

challenge. (LS 197) (Assertive)

Believers themselves must constantly feel challenged to

live in a way consonant with their faith and not to

contradict it by their actions. They need to be

encouraged to be ever open to God‟s grace and to draw

constantly from their deepest convictions about love,

justice and peace. (LS 200)

The majority of people living on our planet profess to

be believers. This should spur religions to dialogue

among themselves for the sake of protecting nature,

defending the poor, and building networks of respect

and fraternity. (LS 201)

Table 1.11 Direct Directives in the sixth chapter: Ecological Education and

Spirituality


106.

Human beings, while capable of the worst, are also

capable of rising above themselves, choosing again

what is good, and making a new start, despite their

mental and social conditioning. We are able to take an

honest look at ourselves, to acknowledge our deep

dissatisfaction, and to embark on new paths to authentic

freedom. No system can completely suppress our

openness to what is good, true and beautiful, or our

God-given ability to respond to his grace at work deep

in our hearts. I appeal to everyone throughout the world

not to forget this dignity which is ours. No one has the

right to take it from us. (LS 205)


110

107.

108.

109.

110.

111.

Here, I would echo that courageous challenge: “As

never before in history, common destiny beckons us to

seek a new beginning… Let ours be a time remembered

for the awakening of a new reverence for life, the firm

resolve to achieve sustainability, the quickening of the

struggle for justice and peace, and the joyful celebration

of life”. (LS 207)

Here, though, I would stress the great importance of the

family, which is “the place in which life – the gift of

God (LS 213)

All Christian communities have an important role to

play in ecological education. It is my hope that our

seminaries and houses of formation will provide an

education in responsible simplicity of life, in grateful

contemplation of God‟s world, and in concern for the

needs of the poor and the protection of the environment.

(LS 214)

Here, I would like to offer Christians a few

suggestions for an ecological spirituality grounded in

the convictions of our faith, since the teachings of the

Gospel have direct consequences for our way of

thinking, feeling and living. More than in ideas or

concepts as such, I am interested in how such a

spirituality can motivate us to a more passionate

concern for the protection of our world. A commitment

this lofty cannot be sustained by doctrine alone, without

a spirituality capable of inspiring us, without an

“interior impulse which encourages, motivates,

nourishes and gives meaning to our individual and

communal activity”. Admittedly, Christians have not

always appropriated and developed the spiritual

treasures bestowed by God upon the Church, where the

life of the spirit is not dissociated from the body or from

nature or from worldly realities, but lived in and with

them, in communion with all that surrounds us. (LS

216)

We read in the Gospel that Jesus says of the birds of the

air that “not one of them is forgotten before God” (Lk

12:6). How then can we possibly mistreat them or cause

them harm? I ask all Christians to recognize and to live

fully this dimension of their conversion. (LS 221)


111

112.

One expression of this attitude is when we stop and give

thanks to God before and after meals. I ask all believers

to return to this beautiful and meaningful custom. That

moment of blessing, however brief, reminds us of our

dependence on God for life; it strengthens our feeling of

gratitude for the gifts of creation; it acknowledges those

who by their labours provide us with these goods; and it

reaffirms our solidarity with those in greatest need. (LS

227)

Table 1.12 Indirect Directives in the sixth chapter: Ecological Education and

Spirituality


113.

114.

115.

116.

So our concern cannot be limited merely to the threat of

extreme weather events, but must also extend to the

catastrophic consequences of social unrest. (LS 204)

When social pressure affects their earnings, businesses

clearly have to find ways to produce differently. This

shows us the great need for a sense of social

responsibility on the part of consumers. (LS 206)

(Assertive)

Environmental education should facilitate making the

leap towards the transcendent which gives ecological

ethics its deepest meaning. It needs educators capable of

developing an ethics of ecology, and helping people,

through effective pedagogy, to grow in solidarity,

responsibility and compassionate care. (LS 210)

Education in environmental responsibility can

encourage ways of acting which directly and

significantly affect the world around us, such as

avoiding the use of plastic and paper, reducing water

consumption, separating refuse, cooking only what can

reasonably be consumed, showing care for other living

beings, using public transport or car-pooling, planting

trees, turning off unnecessary lights, or any number of

other practices. All of these reflect a generous and

worthy creativity which brings out the best in human

beings. Reusing something instead of immediately

discarding it, when done for the right reasons, can be an


112

117.

118.

119.

120.

121.

122.

123.

act of love which expresses our own dignity. (LS 211)

(Assertive)

We must regain the conviction that we need one

another, that we have a shared responsibility for others

and the world, and that being good and decent are worth

it. (LS 229)

Saint Therese of Lisieux invites us to practise the little

way of love, not to miss out on a kind word, a smile or

any small gesture which sows peace and friendship. An

integral ecology is also made up of simple daily

gestures which break with the logic of violence,


Social love is the key to authentic development: “In

order to make society more human, more worthy of the

human person, love in social life – political, economic

and cultural – must be given renewed value, becoming

the constant and highest norm for all activity”. (LS 231)

When we feel that God is calling us to intervene with

others in these social dynamics, we should realize that

this too is part of our spirituality, which is an exercise of

charity and, as such, matures and sanctifies us. (LS 231)

We are called to include in our work a dimension of

receptivity and gratuity, which is quite different from

mere inactivity. (LS 237) (Assertive)

For Christians, believing in one God who is trinitarian

communion suggests that the Trinity has left its mark on

all creation. (LS 239) (Assertive)

Everything is interconnected, and this invites us to

develop a spirituality of that global solidarity which

flows from the mystery of the Trinity. (LS 240)


113

Appendix 2

Biography of Holy Father Francis

The first Pope of the Americas Jorge Mario Bergoglio hails from Argentina. The

76-year-old Jesuit Archbishop of Buenos Aires is a prominent figure throughout

the continent, yet remains a simple pastor who is deeply loved by his diocese,

throughout which he has travelled extensively on the underground and by bus

during the 15 years of his episcopal ministry.

“My people are poor and I am one of them”, he has said more than once,

explaining his decision to live in an apartment and cook his own supper. He has

always advised his priests to show mercy and apostolic courage and to keep their

doors open to everyone. The worst thing that could happen to the Church, he has

said on various occasions, “is what de Lubac called spiritual worldliness”, which

means, “being self-centred”. And when he speaks of social justice, he calls people

first of all to pick up the Catechism, to rediscover the Ten Commandments and

the Beatitudes. His project is simple: if you follow Christ, you understand that

“trampling upon a person‟s dignity is a serious sin”.

Despite his reserved character, his official biography consists of only a few lines,

at least until his appointment as Archbishop of Buenos Aires. He became a

reference point because of the strong stances he took during the dramatic financial

crisis that overwhelmed the country in 2001.

He was born in Buenos Aires on 17 December 1936, the son of Italian

immigrants. His father Mario was an accountant employed by the railways and his

mother Regina Sivori was a committed wife dedicated to raising their five

children. He graduated as a chemical technician and then chose the path of the

priesthood, entering the Diocesan Seminary of Villa Devoto. On 11 March 1958

he entered the novitiate of the Society of Jesus. He completed his studies of the

humanities in Chile and returned to Argentina in 1963 to graduate with a degree in

philosophy from the Colegio de San José in San Miguel. From 1964 to 1965 he

taught literature and psychology at Immaculate Conception College in Santa Fé

and in 1966 he taught the same subject at the Colegio del Salvatore in Buenos

Aires. From 1967-70 he studied theology and obtained a degree from the Colegio

of San José.

On 13 December 1969 he was ordained a priest by Archbishop Ramón José

Castellano. He continued his training between 1970 and 1971 at the University of

Alcalá de Henares, Spain, and on 22 April 1973 made his final profession with the

Jesuits. Back in Argentina, he was novice master at Villa Barilari, San Miguel;


114

professor at the Faculty of Theology of San Miguel; consultor to the Province of

the Society of Jesus and also Rector of the Colegio Máximo of the Faculty of

Philosophy and Theology.

On 31 July 1973 he was appointed Provincial of the Jesuits in Argentina, an office

he held for six years. He then resumed his work in the university sector and from

1980 to 1986 served once again as Rector of the Colegio de San José, as well as

parish priest, again in San Miguel. In March 1986 he went to Germany to finish

his doctoral thesis; his superiors then sent him to the Colegio del Salvador in

Buenos Aires and next to the Jesuit Church in the city of Córdoba as spiritual

director and confessor.

It was Cardinal Antonio Quarracino, Archbishop of Buenos Aires, who wanted

him as a close collaborator. So, on 20 May 1992 Pope John Paul II appointed him

titular Bishop of Auca and Auxiliary of Buenos Aires. On 27 May he received

episcopal ordination from the Cardinal in the cathedral. He chose as his episcopal

motto, miserando atque eligendo, and on his coat of arms inserted the ihs, the

symbol of the Society of Jesus.

He gave his first interview as a bishop to a parish newsletter, Estrellita de Belém.

He was immediately appointed Episcopal Vicar of the Flores district and on 21

December 1993 was also entrusted with the office of Vicar General of the

Archdiocese. Thus it came as no surprise when, on 3 June 1997, he was raised to

the dignity of Coadjutor Archbishop of Buenos Aires. Not even nine months had

passed when, upon the death of Cardinal Quarracino, he succeeded him on 28

February 1998, as Archbishop, Primate of Argentina and Ordinary for Eastern-rite

faithful in Argentina who have no Ordinary of their own rite.

Three years later at the Consistory of 21 February 2001, John Paul II created him

Cardinal, assigning him the title of San Roberto Bellarmino. He asked the faithful

not to come to Rome to celebrate his creation as Cardinal but rather to donate to

the poor what they would have spent on the journey. As Grand Chancellor of the

Catholic University of Argentina, he is the author of the books: Meditaciones para

religiosos (1982), Reflexiones sobre la vida apostólica (1992) and Reflexiones de

esperanza (1992).

In October 2001 he was appointed General Relator to the 10th Ordinary General

Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on the Episcopal Ministry. This task was

entrusted to him at the last minute to replace Cardinal Edward Michael Egan,

Archbishop of New York, who was obliged to stay in his homeland because of the

terrorist attacks on September 11th. At the Synod he placed particular emphasis

on “the prophetic mission of the bishop”, his being a “prophet of justice”, his duty


115

to “preach ceaselessly” the social doctrine of the Church and also “to express an

authentic judgement in matters of faith and morals”.

All the while Cardinal Bergoglio was becoming ever more popular in Latin

America. Despite this, he never relaxed his sober approach or his strict lifestyle,

which some have defined as almost “ascetic”. In this spirit of poverty, he declined

to be appointed as President of the Argentine Bishops‟ Conference in 2002, but

three years later he was elected and then, in 2008, reconfirmed for a further three-

year mandate. Meanwhile in April 2005 he took part in the Conclave in which

Pope Benedict XVI was elected.

As Archbishop of Buenos Aires, a diocese with more than three million

inhabitants, he conceived of a missionary project based on communion and

evangelization. He had four main goals: open and brotherly communities, an

informed laity playing a lead role, evangelization efforts addressed to every

inhabitant of the city, and assistance to the poor and the sick. He aimed to

reevangelize Buenos Aires, “taking into account those who live there, its structure

and its history”. He asked priests and lay people to work together. In September

2009 he launched the solidarity campaign for the bicentenary of the Independence

of the country. Two hundred charitable agencies are to be set up by 2016. And on

a continental scale, he expected much from the impact of the message of the

Aparecida Conference in 2007, to the point of describing it as the “Evangelii

Nuntiandi of Latin America”.

Until the beginning of the recent sede vacante, he was a member of the

Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, the

Congregation for the Clergy, the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life

and Societies of Apostolic Life, the Pontifical Council for the Family and the

Pontifical Commission for Latin America.

He was elected Supreme Pontiff on 13 March 2013.

L'Osservatore Romano, Year LXIII, number 12

© Copyright - Libreria Editrice Vaticana


116

Appendix 3

Cover page of Encyclical Letter Laudato Si’

ENCYCLICAL LETTER

LAUDATO SI’

OF THE HOLY FATHER

FRANCIS

ON CARE FOR OUR COMMON HOME


directive speech act analysis on the ...laudato si ’ of the holy father francis on care for our...

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