The release of Pope Francis' encyclical on the environment later this summer will come as one of the more anticipated papal documents in recent decades. Since its origins as a late 2013 rumor, its hype has snowballed at a time when international attention to climate change has approached a zenith, and as world leaders converge in Paris this December for a possible binding climate agreement.
While the teaching document has fanned optimistic flames for environmentalists in and outside the church, it hasn't raised temperatures evenly for all. Some conservative corners have a more tepid take, welcoming papal guidance on environmental issues, while voicing concerns about the document's ultimate direction: toward a reaffirmation of the stewardship role over creation, or into the boiler of the contentious climate debate still firing in the U.S.
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