Question: Sr Reeta

I have heard about the forth coming celebration of Laudato Si year. What is it and what are the motivation and impacts of such a celebration?

Answer: Saji Mathew Kanayankal CST

Recently Vatican announced a ‘Special Laudato Si Year’ to commemorate the fifth anniversary of Laudato Si, Pope Francis’ ‘watershed’ encyclical on the environment and human ecology. It is true that this encyclical has created a new awareness about the ecological challenges, not only to the Catholics, but to the entire world community during the past five years. As Sean McDonagh, the famous Columban eco-theologian observes, it is “the single most important piece of Catholic Social Teaching of the last 100 years and essential to every Catholic’s formation for the next 100 years.” Though we had many serious discussions on ecological crisis prior to Laudato Si, after its publication the concern for ecology became much more intense and many more new people came into the main stream of the discourse. Moreover, a new awareness on the religious dimension of ecology has emerged. Sally Axworthy, the British Ambassador to the Holy See acknowledges the inspiration and influence of Pope Francis’ encyclical on their embassy to make it green and eco-friendly. According to her there has been a shift in public attitudes driven partly by the encyclical.

On his message in relation with fifth anniversary of Laudato Si, Pope Francis highlighted the importance of “caring for our common home,” in the present context of corona epidemic with the hope that the reflections surrounding this anniversary will “help to create and strengthen constructive attitudes for the care of creation.” Began with a global day of prayer on 20th May, the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development plans for a year-long series of programmes with the aim of safeguarding and care of the Earth. The statement of the dicastery, with the title ‘Laudato Si’ Special Anniversary Year Plans gives the most important components and modules of this unique year in the history of the Church. In its statement the dicastery says; “five years on the encyclical appears ever more relevant. The multiple ‘cracks in the planet that we inhabit’ (LS, 163), from the melting ice caps in the Arctic to the raging wildfires in the Amazon, from extreme weather patterns around the world to unprecedented levels of loss of biodiversity that sustain the very fabric of life, are too evident and detrimental to be ignored any more. Pope Francis’ prophetic words continue to ring in our ears: “What kind of world do we want to leave to those who come after us, to children who are now growing up?” (LS, 160). The poor communities around the world are already the early and disproportionate victims of the current ecological degradation and we cannot remain indifferent any longer to the increasingly desperate ‘cry of the earth and the cry of the poor’ (LS, 49).”

The Seven ‘Laudato Si Goals’
Through this celebration, Vaticanis inviting Catholic communities across the world to join a grassroots movement to gradually work toward ‘total sustainability’ in the coming decade, a path that would include carbon neutrality, simpler lifestyles and divestment from fossil fuels. The aim of this celebration is to promote initiatives, ideas, experiences, and good practices in order to ‘call attention to the cry of the Earth and of the poor.’ The entire emphasis of this celebration is on the ‘ecological conversion in action.’According to the dicastery, as the world continues to deal with the coronavirus pandemic, the encyclical’s message is “just as prophetic today as it was in 2015. Truly, covid -19 has made clear how deeply we are all interconnected and interdependent. As we begin to envision a post-covid-19 world, we need above all an integral approach as everything is closely interrelated and today’s problems call for a vision capable of taking into account every aspect of the global crisis.” In order to attain this aim, the dicastery has planned out the seven Laudato Si’ goals that address a range of areas related to sustainability and ecological conversion. They are;

1. Response to the cry of the Earth:
It invites us to ‘work toward carbon neutrality through greater use of clean renewable energy and reduced fossil fuel use.’ It is a call to support efforts to protect and promote biodiversity and guarantee water access for all.

2. Response to the cry of the poor:
In Laudato Si, Pope Francis continually emphasised on the interconnectedness between human ecology and natural ecology. We have the responsibility to defend human life from conception to death and all forms of life on Earth are important. It also shows the necessity to give special attention to vulnerable groups such as indigenous communities, migrants and children at risk of trafficking and slavery.

3. Ecological economics:
This is one of the most beautiful dream in Laudato Si. After its publication, Pope Francis repeated his plea to the international community and world leaders for a sustainable production, fair trade, ethical consumption and investments, investments in renewable energy, divestment from fossil fuels and limiting any economic activity harmful to the planet or people. His powerful interaction against the forces of market economy, technocratic manipulation and profit-motive industries are prophetic and overwhelming.

4. Adoption of simple lifestyle:
Pope Francis made this plea after giving an example through his own life. His choice to live in a small suit in the Vatican guesthouse leaving the apostolic palace, his travels in a Ford Focus and partaking the common meals are some clear instances of the proposed life style. It can be practised by each individual by reducing the use of energy and resources, avoiding single-use plastics, adopting a more plant-based diet, reducing meat consumption and increasing the use of public transportation over polluting alternatives.He also diagnoses a society of ‘extreme consumerism’ in which people are unable to resist what the market places before them. It is an ardent response to the despoiled Earth and the impoverished billions.

5. Ecological education:
This kind of educational system has already started in many Catholic universities, faculties and other institutions. Some of these thoughts are included in the catechism texts and theological curriculum. However, it further plans to redesign curricula around integral ecology, create ecological awareness and action and to promote ecological vocation with young people and teachers.

6. Ecological spirituality:
It is one of the most important projects of Laudato Si. In the second chapter Pope speaks about the gospel of creation. For him, the intrinsic value of the creation depends neither on nature nor on human beings’ calculations. Rather, its value depends on God’s act of creation, for He has seen that everything createdis good. In order to save the world from the destruction, it is imperative to recover the religious vision of God’s creation. The creation-centred liturgical celebrations, ecological catechesis and prayers and more time in nature will help humanity to form such an ecological spirituality.

7.  Emphasis on community involvement and participatory action around creation:
This community involvement and participatory action will happen if this ecological awareness would move to the grass root levels. So, what we need is promotion of advocacy and grassroots campaigns.

Events Upholding the Harmony of Creation
In order to achieve these goals, the dicastery plans out various events such as prayer services and webinars dedicated to environmental care, education and the economy. It also envisages several talks with the Global Catholic Climate Movement. In June, the dicastery will release a document on ‘operation guidelines’ for Laudato Si. It also plans of a detailed the rollout of a ‘seven-year journey toward integral ecology’ for families, dioceses, schools, universities, hospitals, businesses, farms and religious orders. The two major events during this anniversary celebration will be “Reinventing the Global Educational Alliance,” to be taken place on 15 October 2020 and the “Economy of Francesco,” a meeting to be held on 21 November 2020. Several projects such as annual Laudato Si awards, a documentary film on Laudato Si, Laudato Si chapels, Laudato Si institute networks, Laudato Si tree initiative, ECHO: Earth our common home, Plastic Bank: the fight against plastic pollution and Read the Bible Contest 2020 are under the scheme of this annual plan. One of the most enthusiastic events would be the celebration of a month long ‘Season of Creation,’ which is set to begin on 1 September 2020, the World Day of Prayer for Creation and will end on 4 October, the feast day of St Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of ecology. In January 2021, the Vatican will host a round table on the World Economic Forum in Davos. There is also a proposal for a gathering of religious leaders in 2021. The special year of Laudato Si will conclude with a conference (20-22 May, 2021), the performance of a musical work, the conferring of the first Laudato Si awards and the launching of Laudato Si multiyear action plan. The goal of all these programmes is to respond in concrete ways to the cry of the earth and the poor, to promote ecological economics and to adopt simpler lifestyles. In its statement the dicastery speaks of our special and a unique opportunity “to transform the present groaning and travail into the birth pangs of a new way of living together, bonded together in love, compassion and solidarity, and a more harmonious relationship with the natural world, our common home.” We have the hope that Laudato Si’ can guide us in order to reshape the society where human life, especially that of the weakest, is defended; where everyone has access to healthcare, where people are never discarded, and where nature is not indiscriminately plundered, but cultivated and preserved for those who come after us. As the opening words of the prayer for the year on the reflection on Laudato Si asks, we need an open heart to experience the harmonic existence of creation:

“Loving God,
Creator of Heaven, Earth, and all therein contained.
Open our minds and touch our hearts, so that we can be part of creation, your gift.”