“Laudate Deum”: this is the title of Pope Francis’s Apostolic Exhortation, which was made public today, the day on which the Church commemorates Saint Francis, the saint whose name the Pontiff bears and who spoke more than anyone about Creation during his life. This is an eagerly awaited and important document that addresses the crucial issues of the environmental and climate crisis, migration, and social exclusion, in continuity with the 2015 encyclical Laudato si’.
Pope Francis returns to speaking about care for our common home. Faced with the increasingly demanding challenges concerning environmental and climate injustice, the Holy Father has decided to speak out once again and send a strong and clear message to all humanity.
The Pope strongly returns to one of the issues that alarms him more than others and to which he has long devoted his attention. With the new apostolic exhortation, that part of his magisterium devoted to “integral ecology”, concerning care for our common home and its related social and political implications, is enriched.
In this document, the Pontiff intends to offer a profound reflection and a concrete proposal for an integral ecology that takes into account the environmental, social, economic, political, and spiritual dimensions of human life.
The Holy Father has repeatedly expressed his concern about the consequences of the “ecological crisis” for the most vulnerable populations and the future of the planet. He has denounced the irresponsible exploitation of natural resources, pollution, global warming, biodiversity loss, desertification, and deforestation. He has also drawn attention to the underlying causes of this crisis, linked to a development model based on consumerism, individualism, and indifference.
The Pontiff invited everyone to change their lifestyles, reduce their environmental impact, and promote a culture of respect and care for creation. He also urged governments and international institutions to commit to a just and supportive ecological transition that safeguards human rights and the common goods.
Among these common goods, Francis highlighted the issue of migration, which affects millions of people forced to leave their homelands because of conflicts, poverty, persecution, or natural disasters. The Pope called for greater welcome, protection, promotion, and integration of migrants and refugees. He also advocated international cooperation to address the structural causes of migration and promote the sustainable development of countries of origin.Laudate Deum is therefore a document that challenges all believers and nonbelievers, inviting them to a personal and communal ecological conversion and offering Christian hope in the face of the challenges of our time.
AVAILABLE FROM OCTOBER 14
