Pope Francis: Caring for the World and Everyone in It

      With climate change being one of the primary issues of our time, along with a consistent life ethic, it is the year to celebrate the 5^th anniversary of Laudato Si’, the first papal encyclical focused on the environment.  Through this letter, addressed to “every person living on this planet, Pope Francis made an “urgent appeal…for a new dialogue about how we are shaping the future of our planet.” (LS 14)

       This prayer, one of the two found at the conclusion of the letter, reflects many of the encyclical’s key themes:  God’s love imbued in every speck of creation, the inter connected-ness of everything, and the necessity to hear and respond to “the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor (LS 49). Perhaps the most profound is the insight that the environmental crisis is a spiritual crisis.

                                                          A PRAYER FOR OUR EARTH

All-powerful God, you are present in the whole universe and in the smallest of your creatures. You embrace with your tenderness all that exists. Pour out upon us the power of your love, that we protect life and beauty. Fill us with peace, that we may live as brothers and sisters, harming no one. O God of the poor, help us to rescue the abandoned and forgotten of this earth, so precious in your eyes.                                                                                                    Bring healing to our lives that we may sow beauty, not pollution and destruction. Touch the hearts of those who look only for gain at the expense of the poor of the earth. Teach us to discover the worth of each thing to be filled with awe and contemplation, to recognize with every creature as we journey towards your infinite light. We thank you for being with us each day.                  Encourage us, we pray, in our struggle for justice, love and peace.                                                                                        – Pope Francis, Laudato Si’: On Care for Our Common Home (246) – photo of Francis sneaking out at night to feed the poor in Rome. 

     From September 1 (the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation) to October 4 (the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi) we celebrate the season of creation, a special time when Christians unite in increased prayer and action for our common home.  It is a privileged time to reflect on our relationship with God as Creator and with all of creation.¹⁾

       On the feast of St. Francis of Assisi, October 4, the Pope will be going to Assisi to share another encyclical, on the 5^th anniversary of Laudato Si’, Brothers and Sisters, All.  This encyclical is on the social, political and economic obligations that flow from a belief that all people are children of God and therefore brothers and sisters to one another. This encyclical will indicate to the world a style for the future and will give the church and people of goodwill the responsibility for building it together.  The pope is clearly inspired by Francis of Assisi who, in following Jesus, recognized in fraternity, lived under the sign of mutual and loving service, the horizon of a fulfilled and happy humanity. This encyclical is expected to echo many of the themes Pope Francis has been discussing in his general audience talks on Catholic Social Teaching in light of the pandemic: human fraternity, the equal dignity of all people, the preferential option for the poor, the universal distribution of goods and the obligation of solidarity.  Care for the environment and the virtue of peacemaking are also expected to be part of the encyclical.  The text is expected to be published in a variety of languages the first week of October.

       Also, at this time, at new book featuring his conversations with Pope Francis, Italian environmental activist, Carlo Petrine, said he hopes the published discussions will contribute to the groundwork laid out by Laudato Si’. The book, titled Terra Futura (Future Earth): Conversations with Pope Francis on Integral Ecology, is meant to highlight the importance of the pope’s encyclical on the environment and its impact on the world five years after its publication in 2015.⁽²⁾ 

    ^{1.  Source:  GUTD, Sept. 2020, p. 8-9, Christina Leano.}

             ^{2.   Catholic News Service, Cindy Wooden & National World, Vatican City}                        

We thank and bless Pope Francis for all his inspiration to us, the people of God, and all the world.

              Sr. Mary Tewes, OSB