Laudato Si’ Week 2022: An invite from Pope Francis

The powerful encyclical invited everyone into a new dialogue about “how we are shaping the future of our planet since the environmental challenge we are undergoing, and its human roots, concern and affect us all.”

Now Pope Francis is inviting us all to mark the seventh anniversary of Laudato Si’ and for the world’s 1.3 billion Catholics, and those of other faiths, to listen and respond to the cry of the earth.

What did Pope Francis highlight in Laudato Si’?

• Care for God’s Creation. God created the world and entrusted it to us as a gift. Now we have the responsibility to care for and protect it and all people who are part of creation.
• We are All Connected. We are connected to the rest of the human family, to the created world, and to those who will come after us in future generations.
• Impact on the Poor. People in poverty have contributed least to climate change, yet they are disproportionately impacted by it.
• Solidarity. We are one human family and have a shared responsibility for others and for creation. Wealthy countries have a responsibility to reduce consumption of non-renewal resources and should help poorer nations develop in sustainable ways.
• A Time to Act. Pope Francis calls for a change in lifestyle and consumption. We can make important changes as individuals, families, and communities, and as civil and political leaders.

Laudato Si’ Week 2022

Laudato Si’ Week is an opportunity to rejoice in the progress we have made in bringing Laudato Si’ to life, and to also intensify our efforts through the Vatican’s new Laudato Si’ Action Platform, which is empowering Catholic institutions, communities, and families to fully implement Laudato Si’.

The theme is “Listening and Journeying Together” and is guided by the following quote from Laudato Si’: “Bringing the human family together to protect our common home” (LS 13).

There will be online global events aimed at lifting Catholic social teaching on biodiversity, responding to the cry of the poor, fossil fuel divestment, ecological education, and eco-spirituality. A full programme schedule is available HERE.

As we celebrate Laudato Si this week it is good to recall some key moments in Ireland since its publication:

• The passing of the Fossil Fuel Divestment Bill in 2018 made history as Ireland became the first country in the world to commit to withdrawing public money invested in fossil fuels. Link to article: https://www.trocaire.org/news/ireland-leads-way-landmark-divestment-bill
• In 2018, on the eve of Pope Francis’ visit to Ireland, the Irish Bishops Conference announced their commitment to divest their shared assets from the fossil fuel industry. Many individual dioceses and congregations in Ireland have also joined this divestment movement.
• Parishes around the country have engaged in eco-action with a huge increase in parishes receiving the Eco-Parish award from Eco-Congregation Ireland as well as celebrating the annual Season of Creation (1st September – October 4th).
• Over the past two years, more than 500 people have participated in Trócaire’s Laudato Si’ Book Clubs via zoom and have been inspired to take action in their local parishes to increase awareness of Pope Francis’ call to care for creation. Their initiatives range from Tree Planting and rewilding, to celebrating the Season of Creation, Earth Day and many other important dates through prayer and advocating. Thousands of people petitioned for urgent action at COP26 & COP15 via the Healthy Planet, Healthy People petition; as well as supporting the Youth Climate Movement, Fridays for Future.
• The launch of Archbishop Farrell’s Pastoral Letter The Cry of the Earth – The Cry of the Poor
• Now, church institutions are invited to implement the Laudato Si’ Goals – 7 goals to be achieved by 2030 – in order to bring healing to our relationships with one another and with nature.

As part of the week’s celebrations, we would like to encourage you towards the Laudato Si’ Movie event on Friday May 27th at 1pm Irish time.

Pope Francis’s inspiring encyclical will be the focus of an upcoming feature-length documentary, set to be released in Autumn 2022. We are hoping that parishes and local communities will host screenings of this movie in Ireland in the Autumn. The Laudato Si’ Week event is an opportunity to see a preview of this exciting project.

With almost 220,000 parishes worldwide, the Catholic Church can play a powerful role in solving the dual challenges of the climate emergency and ecological crisis.

As we read in Laudato Si’: “Truly much can be done!” (LS, 180). Trócaire invites everyone to continue to bring Laudato Si’ to life in our local parish communities so that we respond to the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor.

If you would like to get in touch with us to explore how your parish community can Live Laudato Si’ please contact [email protected]

“Injustice is not invincible…Let ours be a time remembered for the awakening of a new reverence for life, the firm resolve to achieve sustainability, the quickening of the struggle for justice and peace, and the joyful celebration of life”. (LS, 74, 207).

[Laudato Si’ Week 2022 is sponsored by the Vatican Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development and facilitated by Laudato Si’ Movement in collaboration with a cohort of Catholic partners, including Trócaire. More information can be found here.]