Pope: a seven-year journey to promote an integral human ecology

The "Laudato si 'Action Platform" is launched, "which will involve our communities in different ways, so that they become totally sustainable, in the spirit of integral ecology". An invitation to “seven realities: families - parishes and dioceses - schools and universities - hospitals - businesses and farms - organizations, groups and movements - religious institutes”.

Vatican City (AsiaNews) - "From the hands of God we have received a garden, we cannot leave a desert for our children". Faced with the "predation" of our world, Pope Francis launches a seven-year "journey" to promote an integral human ecology, the Laudato si 'Action Platform.

As he himself explains in a video message (click here) posted in Italian it is a "seven-year journey that will see our communities committed in different ways to becoming totally sustainable, in the spirit of integral ecology. I would therefore invite everyone to embark on this journey together, and in particular I address these seven environments: families - parishes and dioceses - schools and universities - hospitals - businesses and farms - organisations, groups and movements - religious institutes. Work together. Only in this way will we be able to create the future we want: a more inclusive, fraternal, peaceful and sustainable world.”

"On a journey that will last for seven years, we will let ourselves be guided by the seven aims of Laudato si’, which will show us the direction while we pursue the vision of integral ecology: the response to the cry of the Earth, the response to the cry of the poor, the ecological economy, the adoption of a simple way of life, ecological education, ecological spirituality and community engagement. There is hope. We can all collaborate, each one with his own culture and experience, each one with her own initiatives and capacities, so that our mother Earth may be restored to her original beauty and creation may once again shine according to God’s plan. God bless each one of you, and bless our mission to rebuild out common home.”

The "Laudato si 'Action Platform", explains the Pope, arises from the observation that " For a long time now, this house that hosts us suffers as a result of wounds that we cause by our predatory attitude, which makes us feel that we are masters of the planet and its resources, and authorises us to make irresponsible use of the goods God has given us. Nowadays, these wounds manifest themselves dramatically in an ecological crisis without precedent, which affects the ground, the air, water and, in general, the ecosystem in which human beings live. The current pandemic has now brought to light in an even stronger way the cry of nature and that of the poor who suffer most the consequences, highlighting that everything is interconnected and interdependent and that our health is not separated from the health of the environment in which we live.”

"Therefore, we need a new ecological approach, that can transform our way of dwelling in the world, our styles of life, our relationship with the resources of the Earth and, in general, our way of looking at humanity and of living life. An integral human ecology, that involves not only environmental questions but also mankind in his entirety, that becomes capable of listening to the cry of the poor and of being leaven for a new society."

The Pope's proposal was illustrated in a press conference, during which Card. Peter KA Turkson, prefect of the Dicastery for integral human development, in charge of carrying out the project, defined the reception of the recently concluded special year of Laudato si 'as "fabulous and generous", taking as an example the Church in Bangladesh, that "with 400,000 Catholics, planted more than 700,000 trees during the year, almost two per baptized".

“We must - he said later - listen to and respond to science, to this cry of the Earth, of the poor and of our children. We must listen to the frustration and anger of young people towards our generation; we must listen to their message of hope and creativity and act now to ensure a better future for them and for the generations to come ”.

Father Joshtrom Isaac Kureethadam, coordinator of the “Ecology and creation” Section of the Dicastery - a journey to be made through time. Inspired by the biblical theme of the Jubilee, we have chosen a period of seven years. We foresee that the first year will be dedicated to the three fundamental tasks of community building, sharing of resources and drawing up concrete action plans for the realization of the seven objectives of Laudato si '. This will be followed by five years of concrete action (some may finish this part of the journey even faster). The last year will be the sabbatical year to praise and thank God”.

To create the Laudato si 'Action Platform, he said, collaboration is needed one, the "synodal" path that Pope Francis is proposing to the whole Church. "We have been working on the Laudato si 'Action Platform (LSAP) for about two years, and there is an ad hoc' steering committee 'guiding this process. It is led by the Dicastery, but in collaboration with Caritas Internationalis, the Global Catholic Climate Movement, the Union of Religious Superiors of Rome (USG and UISG), CIDSE - the network of Catholic NGOs, Ecclesial Networks: REPAM and REMAM in the Americas, REBAC in Africa, RAOEN in Asia, youth networks: CYNESA, Eco-Jesuit, Don Bosco Green Alliance and Living Laudato si 'Philippines, and the leaders of the sectoral working groups”.

"The partnership is particularly evident in the working groups that guide each of the seven sectors: the Families sector is led by the Focolare movement together with several other co-leaders, the Parishes and Dioceses sector is led by CAFOD together with the Bishops' Conferences and other partners , the Schools sector is led by the Don Bosco Green Alliance and Scholas Occurrentes together with other co-leaders, the University sector is led by Jesuits along with several other university networks, the hospital sector is led by the Catholic Health Association of India (CHAI ) and by the Catholic Health Association US along with other co-leaders, the economy sector is led by Economia di Francesco and Laudato si 'Challenge along with many others, groups and movements from CIDSE along with WUCWO, VIS, and the religious sectors by USG and UISG. These working groups bring together partners from all over the world in their respective fields”.

The first group of those wishing to join the LSAP will have time from today to October 4, the feast of St. Francis of Assisi, to enroll in the program. (FP)

• Vatican
• Pope
• Francis
• Laudato si 'Action Platform
• integral ecology
• economy
• cry of the poor