Last year Pope Francis issued the strongest indication of his passions and opinions to date. Laudato Si’ is a fervent call on humanity to change its direction – to restore our relationship with both the planet and fellow humanity before untold damage is done.
Encyclicals – or papal letters – can be overwhelming, but Progressio has put together an interactive guide to the 200-page book. The new guide explores its key themes and drawing attention to notable quotes and suggests points of reflection, discussion and action around each theme.
Progressio hopes you can use these tools to draw further inspiration from the Pope’s seminal message in Laudato Si’ and take steps towards applying the teachings to your daily lives.
Subtitled “On Care for Our Common Home”, Laudato Si’ has been referred to as an ‘environmental encyclical’. Many of the issues raised – relating to the destruction of the environment, and the relationship between the developed and developing world – resonate with Progressio’s own work on sustainable environment and livelihoods.
Notably, Pope Francis links the issues of poverty with the destruction of the environment, writing that developed nations have a responsibility towards poorer nations in helping them address climate change and other issues. The world must “hear both the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor”, he says.
The encyclical also serves as a background to the Pope’s significant speech before the United Nations in New York last month, when he spoke in anticipation of the announcement of new Sustainable Development Goals. At the time, many Progressio supporters signed a petition to show solidarity with the Pope’s commitment to the world’s poorest people.
Whether or not you are of the Catholic faith, we hope that you will find this a useful guide to the Pope's significant addition to the climate change and development dialogue.
The interactive guide is designed to be used in a group setting, whether within your parish or Church group, or with friends. If you would like to order multiple copies of the guide please contact Campaigns Officer Jenny Vaughan.
You can read the non-interactive guide here.
The full encyclical text can be accessed here.
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
 laudato_si_guide_web.pdf | 765.1 KB |
