Quick: What prominent American Roman Catholic politician said these two things?“As it relates to making decisions as a public leader, one's faith should guide you. That's not to say that every decision I made would be completely in keeping with the teachings of the Catholic Church, but it was a guide post that kept me out of trouble.”And, “I don't get economic policy from my bishops or my cardinals or my pope…religion ought to be about making us better as people and less about things that end up getting in the political realm.”The answer, of course, is prominent American Republican and Roman Catholic convert Jeb Bush. The second quote is from his negative reaction to the papal encyclical on climate change and the environment, Laudato Si.It is easy to use these seemingly contradictory phrases to mock Bush and label him a hypocrite. If the encyclical were about abortion, critics charge, Bush would have supported it in a second — but because it contradicts his position, he suddenly forgets his faith.Canadians who are concerned about climate change may find more comfort in the reaction back home. While the Harper Conservatives seem to be ignoring the Pope's statement, other parties have raced to associate themselves with the document, heap praise on it and use it to beat up the Conservatives' climate change record. As the NDP environment critic Megan Leslie put it, the encyclical “is undoubtedly a call to action.”Although Laudato Si is a great example of a religion contributing to public policy discussions, all of these reactions (including the criticism of Bush) miss the mark.Religious statements need to be taken seriously and judged on their own merits, not on how they correspond to a particular political agenda. Canadians who believe that we need to tackle climate change urgently should welcome Laudato Si. At the same time, by placing the blame for the current environmental crisis at the doorstep of those living in the West, the encyclical should also make those same Canadians pretty darn uncomfortable.Citing the “extreme and selective consumerism” of people who “live and reason from the comfortable position of a high level of development and a quality of life well beyond the reach of the majority of the world's population,” Francis concludes that dramatic action is needed — “a bold cultural revolution.”“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 recover the values and great goals swept away by our unrestrained delusions of grandeur. . .”“That is why the time has come to accept decreased growth in some parts of the world, in order to provide resources for other places to experience healthy growth.”This is bold stuff and over the course of some 200 pages, Francis lays out his argument based on theology, science, reason and history. The result is a very serious document that needs to be taken seriously, which brings us back to Jeb Bush and the others.Let's make something clear: Even though Bush is a Roman Catholic, he is not compelled to accept an encyclical that goes against his conscience. But what he does have to accept, as both a Roman Catholic and a thoughtful politician, is that the Pope has every right to offer a perspective on this matter and that it needs to be considered seriously. If Bush doesn't like that perspective, then tell us why rather than shooting the messenger by telling us that popes have no right to give advice.But there is a flip side to this.The fact that the starting point of Francis's analysis corresponds with those political parties concerned with climate change doesn't give them the right to try to co-opt his position to support their political platform. Francis is calling for the type of dramatic change that no political party in Canada is coming close to embracing as we begin the federal election campaign. So instead of paying lip service to the document, the onus is on them to explain their analysis of his advice.Francis raises some profoundly important questions in his encyclical. His prescription for action is transformative and demands all of us to question the very nature of our economic system and the values we hold as a society. It challenges us to accept sacrifices as we identify closely with those who don't share in our abundance.Laudato Si is an example of the contribution that faith can make to public policy formulation. As we begin an election campaign where hopefully climate change will be a prominent issue, we should welcome this voice in the debate and reject those who try to discredit it “merely” because it comes from a “religious” source, or try to use it to score points in political debates.John Milloy is a former Ontario cabinet minister who served as MPP for Kitchener Centre from 2003 to 2014.  Prior to that, he worked on Parliament Hill, including five years in the office of Prime Minister Jean Chrétien. He is currently the co-director of the Centre for Public Ethics and assistant professor of public ethics at Waterloo Lutheran Seminary, and the inaugural practitioner in residence in Wilfrid Laurier University's Political Science department.  John can be reached at: [email protected] or follow him on twitter at: @John_Milloy.