Yuji Kojima

Laudato si is the second encyclical of Pope Francis. The encyclical has the subtitle "On Care
For Our Common Home". In it, the Pope critiques consumerism and irresponsible development,
laments environmental degradation and global warming, and calls all people of the world to take
"swift and unified global action".

The title of the social encyclical is an Umbrian phrase from Saint Francis of Assisi's 13th-century
"Canticle of the Sun" (also called the Canticle of the Creatures), a poem and prayer in which God
is praised for the creation of the different creatures and aspects of the Earth.

1. The spiritual perspective is now part of the discussion on the environment.

The greatest contribution of Laudato Si, to my mind, is an overview of the environmental crisis from
a religious point of view. Until now, the dialogue about the environment has been framed mainly
using political, scientific and economic language. Now, the language of faith enters the discussion
— clearly, decisively and systematically.
2. The poor are disproportionately affected by climate change.
The disproportionate effect of environmental change on the poor is strongly highlighted in almost
every page of the document, and the Pope provides many baneful examples of the effects of
climate change, whose “worst impact” is felt by those in developing countries.
3. Less is more.
Pope Francis takes aim at the “technocratic” mindset, in which technology is seen as the key to
human existence. He also critiques an unthinking reliance on market forces, in which every
technological advancement is embraced before considering how it will affect our world. Christian
spirituality, by contrast, offers a growth marked by “moderation and the capacity to be happy with
little”.
4. Catholic social teaching now includes teaching on the environment.
Against those who argue that a papal encyclical on the environment has no real authority, Pope
Francis explicitly states that Laudato Si “is now added to the body of the Church’s social teaching”.
It continues the church’s reflection on modern-day problems that began with Leo XIII’s encyclical
Rerum Novarum, on capital and labor, published in 1891.
5. Discussions about ecology can be grounded in the Bible and church tradition.

In Chapter Two, Pope Francis introduces “The Gospel of Creation,” in which he leads readers
through the call to care for creation that extends as far back as the Book of Genesis, when
humankind was called to “till and keep” the earth. But we have, sadly, done too much tilling and not
enough keeping.
6. Everything is connected — including the economy.
Laudato Si is a “systematic” approach to the problem. First, the Pope links all human beings to
creation: “We are part of nature, included in it, and thus in constant interaction with it”. But our
decisions have an inevitable effect on the environment. A blind pursuit of money that sets aside the
interests of the marginalized and the ruination of the planet are connected.

7. Scientific research on the environment is to be praised and used.

Pope Francis does not try to “prove” anything about climate change. Rather, his encyclical accepts
the best scientific research available today and builds on it. So Laudato Si draws on both church
teaching and contemporary scientific findings from other fields to help modern-day people reflect
on a contemporary crisis.
8. Widespread indifference and selfishness worsen environmental problems.
Pope Francis strongly critiques those who ignore the problem of climate change, and especially its
effects on the poor. Why are so many of the wealthy turning away from the poor? Not only because
“some view themselves as more worthy than others,” but because frequently because decisions-
makers are “far removed from the poor,” with no real contact to their brothers and sisters.
Selfishness also leads to the evaporation of the notion of the common good.
9. Global dialogue and solidarity are needed.
Perhaps more than any other encyclical, Laudato Si draws from the experiences of people around
the world, referencing the findings of bishops’ conferences from Brazil, New Zealand, Southern
Africa, Bolivia, Portugal, Germany, Argentina, the Dominican Republic, the Philippines, Australia
and the United States. The pope invites into dialogue and debate “all people” about our “common
home”.
10. A change of heart is required
This encyclical, addressed to “everyone living on this planet” calls for a new way of looking at
things. We face an urgent crisis, when the earth has begun to look more and more like, in Francis’s
vivid image, “an immense pile of filth”. Still, the document is hopeful, reminding us that because
God is with us, all of us can strive to change course. We can move towards an “ecological
conversion” in which we can listen to the “cry of the earth and the cry of the poor”. To use religious
language, what the Pope is calling for is conversion.

The continued acceleration of changes affecting humanity and the planet is coupled today with a
more intensified pace of life and work which might be called “rapidification”. Although change is
part of the working of complex systems, the speed with which human activity has developed
contrasts with the naturally slow pace of biological evolution. Moreover, the goals of this rapid and
constant change are not necessarily geared to the common good or to integral and sustainable
human development. Change is something desirable, yet it becomes a source of anxiety when it
causes harm to the world and to the quality of life of much of humanity.