Columban Missionaries welcome and celebrate Pope Francis’ encyclical on the environment, ‘Laudato Si’ (Be Praised). The encyclical marks a historic moment in the Church as the first encyclical regarding the human relationship with all of God’s creation.
Pope Francis expresses his concern for the future viability of humankind and the planet due to the impacts of human behaviour on ecosystems. One of the most immediate is the influence of global warming. He has given ecological issues a high profile not only to the Catholic Church but to the rest of the world.
The document attempts to re-define a balance between humans and the rest of creation. Human needs must be met in a way that does not endanger the rest of creation, or irreversibly damage it.
In ‘Laudato Si’ 13, Pope Francis says: "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."
Climate change sceptics will resent the interference of a ‘man of religion’ but others will welcome the weight of authority which Pope Francis brings to the issues around the future of the planet and our human place on it.
Columbans wholeheartedly welcome ‘Laudato Si’ and are committed to working with the local churches, for its wider promulgation and dissemination among all the faithful.
Fr Gary Walker SSC
Regional Director
Australia & New Zealand
Email: info@columban.org.au
Download Media Releases
Watch video
Other Resources
- Vatican - Encyclical Letter 'Laudato Si' of the Holy Father Pope Francis (english PDF)
- Vatican - Encyclical Letter 'Laudato Si' of the Holy Father Pope Francis (espanol PDF)
- Ellen Teague - Welcoming Environment Encyclical Columban Missionaries in Britian (video)
- Catholicism and the Challenge of Ecology (video)
- Stations of the Forest (video)
Shop
Comments (0)