In 2015 Pope Francis, inspired by his namesake wrote a letter to all peoples called ‘Laudato Si’. In English, Laudato Si’ translates to ‘Praised Be’- the opening words of St Francis of Assisi’s canticle of creatures. Pope Francis’ encyclical considers the science on the most pressing issues facing the world today – climate change, global warming, loss of biodiversity and the issue of pollution. Pope Francis also highlights the difficulty these challenges pose for the poor and vulnerable. 

The following chapters then take doctrine, tradition and theology into account. Pope Francis considers how the Catholic Church is to respond. 

The final chapters then call policy makers, leaders and lastly (but not least) individuals into action. 

5 years after the encyclical was released the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development announced the development of the Laudato Si’ Action Platform. The Laudato Si’ Action Platform invites parishes, schools and universities, families and individuals, hospital and aged care facilities, economic institutions, Dioceses, organisations and religious orders to sign on to the platform and being the journey towards an Integral Ecology. Through the use of the Platform, groups self-assess, reflect and plan how they will work towards the 7 Laudato Si’ goals. 

Here at Catholic Earthcare, our programs support groups to engage with the platform in 3 ways. Firstly we provide support through engagement in our networks. Our network meetings allow groups to collaborate and share the ways in which we all might achieve the 7 goals. Secondly, our programs, based on the 8 steps to ecological dialogue, support primarily schools, parishes and families through auditing and decision making processes given the complexity of the Australian context. Lastly, our Catholic Earthcare team can support through presentations and formation in Laudato Si’ and the 7 goals. 

For some examples of the various resources related to the 7 goals that we recommend, see the table below.