Laudato Si’ has touched the hearts and minds of many diverse peoples around the world. In exercising global leadership and in addressing the urgency of the environmental crises, Pope Francis is giving hope to those who have been struggling to create of awareness of the realities we are facing. He addresses all people and seems to have cut through the usual ecclesial language of encyclicals to reach them, from global leaders to ordinary folk like you and me.
Within the Faith Ecology Network (FEN) which our PEJ Centre administers, environmentalists and people of a variety of faiths have been citing Pope Francis. The priests in my parish have spoken about the document at all masses. They are actively asking questions about ways of studying and working with it. To me this is a WOW factor.
The pope’s adoption of St Francis of Assisi as a role model seems to be acceptable to people of all faiths and none. With his words reminding us that Earth, our common home, is like a sister, he very quickly puts us in our proper place in relation to all creation. “This sister now cries out to us because of the harm we have inflicted on her by our irresponsible use and abuse of the goods with which God has endowed her.” #2 It sets in motion for the entire church the wheels of a whole different way of thinking about our relationship with the rest of God’s creation that moves us from an “anthropocentric” relationship of domination. Our understanding of God as Trinity takes on a different hue.
In naming some of the realities of what is happening to the Earth, including climate change, water issues and the loss of biodiversity, Pope Francis’ language is strong. “The earth, our home, is beginning to look more and more like an immense pile of filth.” #21 Some are threatened by this, so it is up to us to bring about change in a collegial manner. In his reflections, he is united with scientists, philosophers, theologians, civic groups, other Christian churches as well as other religions. He chose to include the wisdom of Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew 1, demonstrating his inclusivity and desire for us to be united in facing this together. This reinforces our work in the Faith Ecology Network in trying to build up the network to strengthen the connections between ecology and faith across different faith traditions.
Our technological society now means that people are separated from the natural world. Richard Louv (http://richardlouv.com/) writes about “nature deficit disorder” with new generations not knowing what it is to use their senses to relate directly to nature. Pope Francis writes “God has written a precious book, “whose letters are the multitude of created things present in the universe”. #85 As someone who finds working in the garden or walking along the beach a prayer, I find this encouraging. I am excited about the educational possibilities for collaboration with others in the Australian church and civil society.
Pope Francis’ deep concern for the impacts of the ecological crises on poor nations and poor people resonates with us: “A deep sense of communion with the rest of nature cannot be real if our hearts lack tenderness, compassion and concern for our fellow human beings.” One of our works is a formation program for teachers we call “Growing a Culture of Peace: Connecting Peace, Ecology and Justice”. So in summing up, what excites me about Laudato Si’ is that we now have a wonderful resource to use. I look forward to the challenges ahead in its implementation.
Anne Lanyon