What makes Pope Francis’s encyclical Laudato Sí so unique is how deeply it connects the cries of the poor with the cries of Earth. Thanks to the intellectual matrix in Latin America and other formative experiences, such as the Rio Earth Summit, his ministry to the poor whose suffering was being compounded by water scarcity, deforestation, food insecurity , and air pollution, and the narratives being told by his academic and pastoral peers across the globe, Pope Francis recognized the urgency of addressing the Earth’s deterioration and an aspect of Catholic social teaching that had not been articulated fully enough: care of creation. Today, there is no other way to love God and love our neighbors as ourselves. Reimagining the two great commandments in Matthew (22:37-40) to amend our fractured relationships with God, creation and ourselves is the ecological conversion called for by Pope Francis and parishes, congregations, schools, institutions and families are looking for guidance. Bringing Laudato Sí to life first requires an admission that there is something wrong followed by reflection on “what kind of world we want to leave those who come after us, to children who are now growing up?” This interactive text, Living Laudato Sí, helps readers answer the above question by exposing some of the problems we are facing, engaging with the theology Laudato Sí, and offering a way for people of faith to move from theory to a practical and faithful commitment to creation as set forth by the gospel.
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