The unpublished text of Pope Francis on the eve of the climate meeting: the time to dream big, we must rethink our priorities
We publish the unpublished text of Pope Francis which constitutes the preface
to the book Laudate si’ Reader, published by Libreria Editrice Vaticana (Lav)
on the occasion of Cop26. In the book, environmental activists, ambassadors, men and women of the Church tell how the encliclical Laudato si’ has been received in various contexts around the world. The text will be available from 12 November in ebook and from 20 November in paper format
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Six years ago, I published the encyclical letter Laudato si’, on the care of the common home, calling for a new shared dialogue on our common home – about how we are forging negatively the future of our planet with our irresponsible behavior. I am pleased to see that the encyclical has had a positive impact on our efforts to care for our common home in the Church, in our ecumenical and interreligious communities, in political and economic circles, in the educational and cultural spheres, and beyond.
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After the publication of the Laudato si’, I invited Catholics to join my beloved brother, His Holiness Bartholomew, the Ecumenical Patriarch, and our Orthodox brothers, to celebrate together 1 September is the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation. I am filled with gratitude that the urgent message of the Laudato si’ had an echo in important declarations and especially in actions by other religious traditions about our vocation to be guardians of God’s creation. Rabbinical Letter on the Climate Crisis, The Islamic Declaration on Global Climate Change, The Buddhist Declaration on Climate Change to World Leaders, Bhumi Devi Ki Jai !, a Hindu Declaration on Climate Change.
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The Laudato si’ a global call to be custodians of our common home, and so wonderful to see that the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development has taken the initiative to bring together the reflections of people and communities from around the world on the messages of Laudatus si’. The Laudate si’ Reader, the title under which these reflections were collected, in fact an appropriate conclusion to the Special Year Laudato si’ which was celebrated from May 24, 2020 to May 24, 2021.
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The Cry of the Earth and the Cry of the Poor that I presented in the Laudato si’ as an emblematic consequence of our failure to take care of ours common home it has recently been amplified by the Covid-19 emergency, which humanity is still trying to counter. Therefore, an ecological crisis, represented by cry of the earth, e a social crisis, represented by cry of the poor, have been made lethal by a health crisis: the Covid-19 pandemic. How true are the words of my predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI: The ways in which man treats the environment affect the way in which he treats himself and vice versa (Charity in truth, n. 51).
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Nonetheless, let’s not forget that crises are also windows of opportunity: they are occasions to recognize and learn from the mistakes of the past. The current crisis should make us transform what happens in the world into personal suffering, and thus recognize the contribution that each can make (LS, n. 19). They are also for us a time to change gears, to change bad habits in order to be able to dream, co-create and act together to achieve just and equitable futures. now to develop a new form of universal solidarity that is founded on brotherhood, love, mutual understanding: a solidarity that values people more than profit, that seeks new ways of understanding development and progress. And so, my hope and my prayer that we do not come out of this crisis the same as when we entered it!
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The recent past has shown us that they are above all our children to have understood the scale and enormity of the challenges facing society, especially the climate crisis. We must listen to them with open hearts. We have to follow their lead because they are wise despite their age.
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the moment of dream big, to rethink our priorities – what we value, what we want, what we seek – and to reschedule our future, committing ourselves to act in daily life in what we have dreamed of. time to act, and to act together, Now!
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October 30, 2021 (change October 30, 2021 | 22:47)
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