Laudato Si'
Pope Francis' 2015 encyclical Laudato Si' issued an urgent challenge to the entire world "to protect our common home". He encouraged cultivating a deeper relationship with God's creation, alongside actions to address the multitude of ecological crises facing the planet, including climate change, deforestation and threats to biodiversity that jeopardize the survival of upward of one million plant and animal species.
Find the full Laudato Si' document here.
On 4 October 2023 Pope Francis published an Apostolic Exhortation entitled Laudate Deum: On the Climate Crisis, in which he points out “that our responses [to the climate crisis] have not been adequate” and that “the world in which we live is collapsing and may be nearing the breaking point” (LD. 2). This Apostolic Exhortation calls for a” transition to renewable forms of energy” (LD.1) and “the abandonment of fossil fuels”(LD. 55).
In Pope Francis' encyclical Laudato Si', the pope issued an urgent challenge to the entire world "to protect our common home". He encouraged cultivating a deeper relationship with God's creation, alongside actions to address the multitude of ecological crises facing the planet, including climate change, deforestation and threats to biodiversity that jeopardize the survival of upward of one million plant and animal species.
The seven Laudato Si' goals address a range of areas related to sustainability and ecological conversion:
| Response to the cry of the Earth | Work toward carbon neutrality through greater use of clean renewable energy and reduced fossil fuel use; support efforts to protect and promote biodiversity and guarantee water access for all. |
| Response to the cry of the poor | Defend human life from conception to death and all forms of life on earth, while giving special attention to vulnerable groups such as indigenous communities, migrants and children at risk of trafficking and slavery. |
| Ecological economics | Sustainable production, fair trade, ethical consumption and investments, investments in renewable energy, divestment from fossil fuels and limiting any economic activity harmful to the planet or people. |
| Adoption of simple lifestyles | Reduce use of energy and resources, avoid single-use plastics, adopt a more plant-based diet, reduce meat consumption and increase use of public transportation over polluting alternatives. |
| Ecological education | Redesign curricula around integral ecology, create ecological awareness and action, promote ecological vocation with young people and teachers. |
| Ecological spirituality | Recover a religious vision of God's creation, promote creation-centered liturgical celebrations, develop ecological catechesis and prayers and encourage more time in nature. |
| Community involvement | Community involvement and participatory action around creation care at all levels of society by promoting advocacy and grassroots campaigns. |
The Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development invites Catholic communities across the world to gradually work toward total sustainability in the coming decade. As part of its plans, the dicastery outlined a multi-year Laudato si' action platform that in gradual stages will invite Catholic dioceses, religious orders, schools and other institutions to publicly commit to a seven-year journey toward ecological conversion and total sustainability. The action platform is framed across the seven Laudato si' goals listed above.
The Laudato si' action platform and its related goals resemble the United Nations' own sustainable development goals. The U.N. agenda lays out a blueprint for the global community by 2030 to achieve 17 goals addressing a range of issues, among them poverty, inequality, peace, hunger, water access, gender equality, clean energy and climate action.
Engaging with climate change: a selection of resources
Eco-Congregation Ireland:
www.ecocongregationireland.com/resources
Environmental check-up for your church from Eco-Congregation Ireland
ICC General Secretary, Dr Nicola Brady, shares the importance of starting with oneself when it comes to responding to climate change:
www.irishchurches.org/news-blog/5384/responding-to-climate-breakdown-beginning
Caring for God's Creation – resources for liturgy, preaching, and taking action from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops
Eco-Parish Guide – from the Global Catholic Climate Movement (GCCM)
Prayer: the Laudato Si' chaplet (GCCM)