The International Symposium on Ecology “Laudato sì, Care for Our Common Home, a Necessary Conversion to Human Ecology”, one of the most important international, academic and ecological event of the year organized by the Vatican, will take place in Costa Rica from November 29 to December 1, 2017, at Wyndham Herradura Hotel in San Jose. It is the first time this event will be held in the Central American and Caribbean region.
This International Symposium will be addressing the topic of sustainable development and climate change on our planet through the lenses of the Laudati sì. The activity is organized by the Catholic University of Costa Rica with the support of Joseph Ratzinger – Benedict XVI Vatican Foundation, which holds this event on an annual basis. This year´s event will be its seventh symposium and it is expected to involve academics, scientists, businesspeople, priests, seminarians, students from different areas, religious people, educators, government officials, and other participants interested in the care for our common home. Registrations are opened.
The event will gather highly prestigious speakers from the Vatican and some of the best universities around the world, including:
- His Most Reverend Eminence Cardinal Claudio Hummes O.F.M. Prefect Emeritus of Sacred Congregation for clergy and Amazonia Commission President
- His Most Reverend Eminence Cardinal Giuseppe Versaldi, Prefect of the Congregation for Catholic Education
- Gonzalo Tejerina Arias O.S.A., Dean of the Theology Department of the University of Salamanca
- Tomás Insua, Research Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School- Executive Director of the Global Catholic Climate Movement
- Augusto Zampini, University of Durham, Department of Theology and Religion, member of CAFOD
- Michael Green, Executive Director of Social Progress Imperative
- Roberto Artavia Loría, President of VIVA Trust
- Fernando Chica Arellano, Permanent Observer of the Holy See to FAO
- Father Josafá Carlos de Siqueira, S.J., Dean of the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Unlike the previous events, which addressed theological/dogmatic topics, this year’s symposium focuses on practical theology, addressing a topic that is of global and common interest to everyone, regardless of their religious beliefs, political affiliations or nationalities, given that climate change and the protection of our planet concerns everyone. The symposium seeks to foster dialogue between reason and faith, bringing together theologians and scientists to discuss inevitable situations such as climate change, the health of our planet, and our legacy for future generations.
The event will include the presentation of an assessment tool to measure countries’ implementation of the Encyclical Laudato si. The Laudato sì Observatory of the Catholic University of Costa Rica will also be inaugurated. The objective of the observatory will be to conduct environmental and social monitoring for the planet, by collecting data to feed the development index as well as disseminating the results of each measurement and any related studies.
The Earth Charter International was invited to take part in this Symposium and help coordinate one of the roundtables, and to join the Laudato Si Observatory, collaborating with some of its projects. We welcome this collaboration, and intend to finds ways to show the close similarities and linkages between the Laudato sì and the Earth Charter.
See reflections on this in the following link: https://earthcharter.org/news-post/the-encyclical-laudato-si-and-the-earth-charter/
For more information and registration, please visit:
http://simposiumratzinger2017.com/en/home/
