With deep respect and admiration, we pay heartfelt tribute to Pope Francis, a unique human being whose humility, wisdom, and commitment to the most vulnerable inspire us all. His life serves as an example, reminding us that faith is lived through action and that love for our neighbor is the foundation of true transformation. We are grateful for his tireless work for peace, unity, and care for creation—values that we embrace with conviction and hope.
His passing leads us to reflect on how challenging it can be to hold such a position and strive to influence change. In this spirit, we remember one of his greatest legacies: the Encyclical Laudato Si’, which this month marks 10 years since its publication.
What is Laudato Si’ and why is it important?
In May 2015, Pope Francis published Laudato Si’, a historic encyclical on “care for our common home.” This document transcends religious boundaries: it addresses all of humanity on the ecological, social, and ethical challenges our planet faces. It holds profound significance and calls us to take responsibility for the care of our shared home. In it, the Pope denounces environmental degradation, biodiversity loss, rampant consumerism, and social inequity, and proposes the concept of integral ecology, understood as the interconnection between humans, society, and nature.
The Connection with the Earth Charter
One of the most notable aspects of Laudato Si’ is its explicit reference to the Earth Charter in paragraph 207. This document, created through a global participatory process and published in 2000, proposes ethical principles for building a just, sustainable, and peaceful society. In his encyclical, the Pope directly quotes a central passage from the Earth Charter, highlighting the urgent call for a new beginning:
“As never before in history, our common destiny calls us to seek a new beginning […] Let ours be a time remembered for the awakening of a new reverence for life; for the firm resolution to achieve sustainability; for the acceleration of the struggle for justice and peace, and for the joyful celebration of life.”
The inclusion of this quote underscores the deep ethical and philosophical alignment between both proposals. They share fundamental values such as social justice, intergenerational equity, respect for life, and the need for a systemic shift toward sustainability.
A Shared Vision for the Future
As Steven Rockefeller, a member of the Earth Charter Commission, points out:
“Both Laudato Si’ and the Earth Charter recognize that there is an ethical and spiritual dimension to the social and environmental crises of the world that must be addressed if the human family is to find a path toward a just and sustainable future.”
From this perspective, both documents propose a profound cultural transformation. It’s not just about technical solutions, but a new approach involving global solidarity, ecological responsibility, and a new way of relating to the planet and to one another.
In the Encyclical, the Pope highlighted that “Although it is true that we Christians have at times incorrectly interpreted the Scriptures, nowadays we must forcefully reject the notion that our being created in God’s image and given dominion over the earth justifies absolute domination over other creatures… Each community can take from the bounty of the earth whatever it needs for subsistence, but it also has the duty to protect the earth and to ensure its fruitfulness for coming generations. (Paragraph 67)
It is important to recall that through the Laudato Si’ the Pope gave a special importance to education by writing:
“Environmental education has broadened its goals. Whereas in the beginning it was mainly centred on scientific information, consciousness-raising and the prevention of environmental risks, it tends now to include a critique of the “myths” of a modernity grounded in a utilitarian mindset (individualism, unlimited progress, competition, consumerism, the unregulated market). It seeks also to restore the various levels of ecological equilibrium, establishing harmony within ourselves, with others, with nature and other living creatures, and with God. Environmental education should facilitate making the leap towards the transcendent which gives ecological ethics its deepest meaning. It needs educators capable of developing an ethics of ecology, and helping people, through effective pedagogy, to grow in solidarity, responsibility and compassionate care.
Yet this education, aimed at creating an “ecological citizenship”, is at times limited to providing information, and fails to instil good habits. The existence of laws and regulations is insufficient in the long run to curb bad conduct, even when effective means of enforcement are present. If the laws are to bring about significant, long-lasting effects, the majority of the members of society must be adequately motivated to accept them, and personally transformed to respond. Only by cultivating sound virtues will people be able to make a selfless ecological commitment.” (Paragraphs 210 and 211)
