Manager: | Dr Thomas Krüggeler, KAAD |
Pope Francis‘ encyclical Laudato Si’ (2015) ‘On Care for our Common Home’ met with a great response both inside and outside the Catholic Church. In it, the Pope calls for radical steps to be taken against the destruction of the basis of life on earth. The document was quickly regarded as an ‘environmental encyclical’ with which the Church would make itself part of the global environmental movement. The Pope's impetus for more environmental commitment culminated in the actions of the Laudato Si‘ movement and the official website “Laudato Si” Action Platform’ (www. laudatosiactionplatform.org). In the Apostolic Exhortation ‘Laudate Deum’ (2023), the Pope took up the topic again.
The initial enthusiasm triggered by the encyclical has long since faded, even if two strands that characterise the Catholic environmental movement can still be vaguely discerned. In the Global North, more spiritually orientated groups are involved, while in the Global South, Catholic environmental activists are involved in concrete conflicts (e.g. illegal deforestation). The high expectations (formation of action groups at various levels) that accompanied the establishment of the Laudato Si' action platform have not yet been fulfilled. This raises a number of questions: Have other international crises (e.g. the pandemic or wars) eclipsed concern for the ‘common home’? Are Catholic institutions and Catholics not paying the necessary attention to the Pope's concern? Where does the international ecclesial environmental movement stand today?
In this seminar, necessary steps will be developed that could help to position the Catholic environmental movement for the future. In addition, the reasons for the lack of attractiveness of the Laudato Si platform for action will be explored and its structural weaknesses identified.
The virtual format of the seminar will allow Catholics from different regions of the world to be interviewed on the topic. This will result in a picture that will contain some answers to the problems outlined.