Care For Our Commom Home
Laudato Si' is an appeal from Pope Francis addressed to "every person living on this planet" about how we are shaping the future of Earth. Pope Francis calls the Church, the world, and each person to acknowledge the urgency of our environmental challenges and to join him in embarking on a new path. The last three popes have all called these challenges “a moral issue.” This encyclical (Papal letter), the first to focus solely on ecology and human’s place within and relationship with God’s creation, is written with both hope and resolve, looking to our common future with candor and humility. Pope Francis, emphasizing the importance of the document, has explicitly stated that the encyclical is now added to the body of the Catholic Church’s social teaching. Learn more about the Holy Father’s statement and how you might respond in faith by exploring this website.
On Care for Our Common Home
Click here to read the complete Papal Encyclical (Laudato Si’), of the Holy Father Francis.
Tips on Caring for Our Common Home
Familiarize yourself with life-affirming legislation and with church teaching on the sanctity of life, including St. Pope John Paul's “Evangilium Vitae,” which is available online.
Even if we don't see immediate impact from our stewardship efforts, we must continue them and keep in mind that they will ultimately benefit society “for they call forth a goodness which, albeit unseen, inevitably tends to spread.”
It is important to learn lessons that first present themselves in family life: how to show love and respect for life; the proper use of things; order and cleanliness; respect for the local ecosystem and care for all creatures; how to learn and mature; how to ask without demanding; saying “thank you” in genuine gratitude; controlling aggressiveness and greed. “These simple gestures of heartfelt courtesy help to create a culture of shared life and respect for our surroundings.” (Laudato Si’, 213)
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Make it a priority to increase your use of public transportation. Buses and light rail are operating anyway, so making use of them instead of your car — even just two or three times a month — is a step in reducing emissions and congestion. You might find it easy enough to do even more often. ​
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Pope Francis' TED Talk
In a 2017 TED Talk, the Pope spoke on Why the only future worth building includes everyone. He is a strong advocate of global action against climate change, to which he has devoted his powerful 2015 encyclical, Laudato sì ("Praise be to you"). He invites us to practice "tenderness," putting ourselves "at the level of the other," to listen and care.
View the following short videos
Learn more about Praise Be to You the Papal Encyclical (Laudato Si’) of the Holy Father Francis On Care for Our Common Home. Use the video icons with “play” arrows.
Laudato Si’
This 6-minute, un-narrated, bilingual video is the official Vatican video about On Care for Our Common Home
Top 10 Things You Need to Know
about Pope Francis' Laudato Si’
This 4-minute video narrated by Fr. James Martin, SJ, editor-at- large of the Jesuit magazine America presents highlights of On Care for our Common Home.
Live Wisely, Think Deeply
This 4-minute animated video by the Catholic Agency For Overseas Development (CAFOD) presents highlights of On Care for Our Common Home for children.
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What you can do to care for our common home and still shop … Guide to Green Shoppping https://www.jomashop.com/blog/articles/guide-to-green-shopping