In 2015, Pope Francis released his encyclical entiled: Laudato Si’, which translates to “Care for Our Common Home.” An encyclical is an exceptionally high-level teaching document issued by a pope. Encyclical letters have been addressed to Catholics or, in recent decades, to “all people of goodwill.”
Focusing in on Ecology
In Laudato Si’, Pope Francis said, “This encyclical is aimed at everyone. Let us pray that everyone can receive its message and grow in responsibility toward the common home that God has entrusted to us.”
Although Pope Francis follows his predecessors in speaking about ecology and climate change, this is the first time a papal teaching of such high authority has been exclusively devoted to ecology. Through this encyclical, Pope Francis is fulfilling his role as a pastor to teach Catholics about the moral obligation to care for God’s creation and care for the poor who are most impacted by climate disruptions. (Source: Catholic Climate Covenant)
This encyclical presents an opportunity for us, as a Church, to focus on stewardship of creation and our responsibility to work for the common good of our larger communities and in fact, the world. Click here to download Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si’ in English or Spanish.
See more about the Encyclical!