Bennett Oghifo
In 2015, Pope Francis, in an encyclical on care for the environment, Laudato si’, called on humanity to be mindful of a crucial need to protect the environment in pursuit of development.
The encyclical, a letter from the Pope to Roman Catholic bishops, often about the Church’s official opinion on a subject, was the first ever written by a Pope on the subject of the environment, and it quickly gained traction both inside and outside the Church, according to the Vatican News.
The Pope said, “The universe unfolds in God, who fills it completely. Hence, there is a mystical meaning to be found in a leaf, in a mountain trail, in a dewdrop, in a poor person’s face. Standing awestruck before a mountain, we cannot separate this experience from God.”
The Pope condemned “politics concerned with immediate results, supported by consumerist sectors of the population driven to produce short-term growth.”
He said humanity needs “a new way of thinking about human beings, life, society and our relationship with nature.”
The Pope’s letter was received positively all over the world. The Vatican News said, “UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon praised the document for its “moral voice,” while the Indian novelist Pankaj Mishra called it “arguably the most important piece of intellectual criticism in our time.”
Vatican News said, “Laudato si’ also had an impact on policy. The encyclical is often credited with helping to build consensus in the run-up to the 2015 UN Climate Change Conference in Paris, at which 196 countries signed a treaty pledging to keep global warming to below 2°C.
“From contemplation to action
Laudato si’ combines, on the one hand, striking, and at times poetic, theological reflections on the importance of care for the natural world with, on the other, calls for radical political action.”
Titled ‘Encyclical Letter
Laudato Si’ Of The Holy Father
Francis On Care For Our Common Home’, Pope Francis, in the section “My appeal” stated “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. The Creator does not abandon us; he never forsakes his loving plan or repents of having created us. Humanity still has the ability to work together in building our common home. Here I want to recognise, encourage and thank all those striving in countless ways to guarantee the protection of the home which we share. Particular appreciation is owed to those who tirelessly seek to resolve the tragic effects of environmental degradation on the lives of the world’s poorest. “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.
“I urgently appeal, then, for a new dialogue about how we are shaping the future of our planet. We need a conversation which includes everyone, since the environmental challenge we are undergoing, and its human roots, concern and affect us all. The worldwide ecological movement has already made considerable progress and led to the establishment of numerous organizations committed to raising awareness of these challenges. “Regrettably, many efforts to seek concrete solutions to the environmental crisis have proved ineffective, not only because of powerful opposition but also because of a more general lack of interest. “Obstructionist attitudes, even on the part of believers, can range from denial of the problem to indifference, nonchalant resignation or blind confidence in technical solutions. 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”. 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.
“It is my hope that this Encyclical Letter, which is now added to the body of the Church’s social teaching, can help us to acknowledge the appeal, immensity and urgency of the challenge we face.”
Vatican News said, “One of the major consequences of Laudato si’ was a significant increase in Catholic environmental activism.
Several new Catholic environmental organisations were founded in direct response to the encyclical, from the global Laudato Si’ Movement to the Laudato Si’ Research Institute at Campion Hall, Oxford.
“Other, pre-existing organisations—including Caritas Internationalis, the Catholic Church’s charitable arm—expanded their work on environmental questions.
“There is even some evidence, published in a 2019 article in the journal Biological Conservation, that Laudato si’ led to a worldwide increase in interest in environmental issues – an increase especially prominent in, but not restricted to, Catholic countries.”
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