From May 16 to 24, 2020, 2020, the Laudato Si’ Week was held under the title “Everything is connected,” a global campaign on the occasion of the 5th anniversary of Pope Francis’ encyclical on care for our planet, our common home.
The event saw the participation of Catholic communities worldwide involving dioceses, parishes, movements and associations, schools, and institutions who wanted to deepen their commitment to safeguarding creation and promoting an integral ecology.
Strongly desired by the Pope, it was organized by the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development with the support of various Catholic partners like the Global Catholic Climate Movement which includes more than 900 Catholic organizations worldwide, one of which is the Focolare Movement.
During the Laudato Si’ Week, there were various online initiatives following the indications of the encyclical. In fact, due to the COVID-19 emergency, the event took place entirely online through interactive and formative seminars.
On May 24, the event concluded with a world day of prayer: at 12 noon (local time in each time zone), everyone was invited to pray for the Earth.
In March of this year, the Pope sent out a video message in which he encouraged the faithful to participate in protecting our planet. He shared the hope that together, through action and faith, we can solve the ecological crisis. “What kind of world do we want to leave to those who will come after us, to the children who are growing up? – said the Pope – I renew my urgent appeal to respond to the ecological crisis. The cry of the earth and the cry of the poor can no longer wait. Let us take care of creation, a gift from our good Creator God.”
For the past five years, the Pope’s encyclical has stirred the consciences of many citizens. People have formed communities with the aim of doing something for the environment, driven by the Pope’s words on a more attentive ecological vision of Our Common Home. Yet after five years, these words resonate even more in today’s world torn apart by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development also stresses how the teachings of the encyclical are particularly relevant in the current context of COVID-19 that has brought life to a standstill in many parts of the world. “The pandemic has struck everywhere and teaches us how only with the commitment of all can we rise and defeat even the virus of social selfishness with the antibodies of justice, charity, and solidarity – to be builders of a more just and sustainable world, of an integral human development that leaves no one behind,” underlines Fr. Francesco Soddu, director of Caritas Italiana.
During this week, we have not only talked about ecology. The organizers asked themselves: What role does the economy play in terms of safeguarding creation? In fact, last May 21, an online meeting was held with the English economist Kate Raworth, one of the most influential economists internationally. This meeting was also part of the preparation and formation process for “The Economy of Francesco,” the event the Pope wanted to be held in Assisi from November 19-21 for which 3,000 young entrepreneurs from all over the world have already registered.
On the subject of safeguarding creation, “the economy is responsible for at least 50% if we consider each individual’s economy, the economy of enterprises and the economy of States and the effects that all this has on the pollution of the planet. Then there is politics, our lifestyles, etc.… (…) If we also look at what has contributed to the failures of these decades (global warming, for example), we realize that, in short, the capitalist economy truly has a great responsibility. So if we want to make a change, we have to change the economy,” says Italian economist Luigino Bruni.
Therefore, to live Laudato Si’ means to show our sensitivity to safeguarding creation but this also means making life choices in the economic sphere. We can contribute to a profound economic and ecological conversion through practical experiences. Furthermore, we need to understand what kind of political change to promote in order to truly listen to the cry of the earth and the poor.
