news.va – The Encyclical letter Laudato si’ was launched in the Synod Hall of the Vatican on Thursday, June 18th. Among the presenters was Cardinal Peter Turkson, the President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace.
“As is already clear to everyone, the Encyclical takes its name from the invocation of St Francis of Assisi: ‘Laudato si’ mi’ Signore’ ‘Praise be to you, my Lord’, which in the Canticle of the Creatures calls to mind that the earth, our common home, ‘is like a sister with whom we share our life and a beautiful mother who opens her arms to embrace us'(n. 1),” said Cardinal Turkson. “The reference to St Francis also indicates the attitude upon which the entire Encyclical is based, that of prayerful contemplation, which invites us to look towards the “poor one of Assisi” as a source of inspiration.”
“Laudato si’, mi’ Signore” – “Praise be to you, my Lord”. In the words of this beautiful canticle, Saint Francis of Assisi reminds us that our common home is like a sister with whom we share our life and a beautiful mother who opens her arms to embrace us. “Praise be to you, my Lord, through our Sister, Mother Earth, who sustains and governs us, and who produces various fruit with coloured flowers and herbs”.
Download encyclical –> HERE.
Pope Francis’ first encyclical is focused on the idea of ‘integral ecology’, connecting care of the natural world with justice for the poorest and most vulnerable people. Only by radicallyreshaping our relationships with God, with our neighbours and with the natural world, he says, can we hope to tackle the threats facing our planet today. Science, he insists, is the best tool by which we can listen to the cry of the earth, while dialogue and education are the two keys that can “help us to escape the spiral of self-destruction which currently engulfs us”.
At the heart of the Pope’s reflections is the question: “What kind of world do we want to leave to those who come after us, to children who are now growing up?”. The answers he suggests call for profound changes to political, economic, cultural and social systems, as well as to our individual lifestyles.
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