Skip to content

Peace, Life, and the Care for Creation – Pope Francis Continues Laudato Si’

Pope Francis recently announced that he will be writing a second installment of his encyclical Laudato Si’, published in 2015.   

The title Laudato Si’ (Praise be to you) comes from the beginning of St. Francis of Assisi’s famous Canticle of Creatures in which he praises the beauty of nature and the goodness of God. This praise of creation has become a defining theme for the current pontificate. The Holy Father has repeatedly emphasized the themes of protecting creation and caring for our environmen. He is reminding us that we are stewards of creation. At the recent World Youth Day in Lisbon this was a key topic. The Laudato Si’ movement, a group of young people called into existence by the Pope, worked to ensure that the mega event was also as ecologically sustainable as possible.   

On August 21, the Holy Father made the off-the-cuff announcement regarding a second letter on the Laudato Si’ theme during his meeting with a delegation of lawyers from member countries of the Council of Europe. The Council of Europe is not to be mistaken with the European Union, It is much larger, with 46 member states, representing more than 700 million people in Europe, including Turkey. The United States and the Holy See are observer states; Russia has just  left last year. The Council of Europe also operates the European Court of Human Rights, and so, this meeting focused on the protection of human rights.    

Following the meeting there was a short confirmation from the Holy See Press Office that the Holy Father is working on the encyclical. The Archbishop of Melbourne, Peter Comensoli, said on Twitter – now X – that the Holy Father mentioned it to him and a group of young people during a private audience.    

Pope Francis has usually always combined the care for creation with the care for the most vulnerable, which is underscored by the most important of all human rights: the protection of life. This protection of human life was the cornerstone of the encyclical letter Laudato Si’, and will likely be reinforced in the second installment. When speaking about the protection of life, there are typically three topics combined in Pope Francis‘ statements: stopping the wars  – especially the one on European soil in Ukraine – protecting life, that of the unborn as well as of the elderly, and the care for creation. It will be interesting to see how these themes are developed when this new encyclical is published.  

 

(Edited by Matthew Santucci) 

Receive the most important news from EWTN Vatican via WhatsApp. It has become increasingly difficult to see Catholic news on social media. Subscribe to our free channel today

Share

Would you like to receive the latest updates on the Pope and the Vatican

Receive articles and updates from our EWTN Newsletter.

More news related to this article

Pope Francis to release new encyclical ‘Dilexit Nos’ on the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Pope Francis will publish the fourth encyclical of his pontificate on Thursday on “the human and divine love of the heart of Jesus Christ.”

LIVE from Hungary | Pope Francis’ Meeting with Bishops, Priest & Seminarians | April 28th, 2023

Join us LIVE as we witness Pope Francis’ meeting with the Bishops, Priest, Seminarians, Pastoral Workers from St.

Pilgrims of Hope Amidst Crisis: Archbishop Fisichella on the 2025 Jubilee

With 32 million expected for the Jubilee Year, the Archbishop discusses preparations, his hopes for conversion, and why ‘we are all pilgrims of hope.'

Pope Leo XIV urges theologians to defend creation and human dignity in the age of AI

Pope Leo XIV on Saturday urged Catholic theologians to embrace a “theology of wisdom” capable of addressing urgent global challenges, from environmental crises to the ethical questions posed by artificial intelligence (AI).

Pope Francis speaks with Zelenskyy about peace efforts in Ukraine

Pope Francis spoke by telephone with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy three days after Christmas to discuss peace efforts to end the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war, according to a video message Zelenskyy posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.

The Catholic Shark Tank at the Angelicum

Fr. Mitch Pacwa hosts this special edition of EWTN Live dedicated to the memory of Pope Emeritus Benedict

LIVE
FROM THE VATICAN

Be present live on EWTN.it