Praised Be: On the Care of the Common Home
On Care for Our Common Home (Laudato Si') is the new appeal from Pope Francis addressed to "every person living on this planet" for an inclusive dialogue about how we are shaping the future of our planet. Pope Francis calls the Church and the world to acknowledge the urgency of our environmental challenges and to join him in embarking on a new path. This encyclical is written with both hope and resolve, looking to our common future with candor and humility. See the Vatican's Introductiory Video.
The title "Laudato Si" (Praised Be), is the introductory phrase from St. Francis of Assisi's famous prayer, "Canticle of Creatures", which thanks God for the gifts of Creation.
Click on the image above to go to the full text of Laudato Si. It is also available here in PDF.
You may wish to read A Brief Guide to the Encyclical from the Vatican Press Office, and read the Discussion Guide from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
The USCCB has published homily hints, bulletin inserts and other materials for Catholic schools and parishes, which will be available here:
Cardinal Turkson, a close collaborator with Pope Francis, has listed four principles which he enunciates in his Encyclical:
The Environmental Stewardship and Adult Formation ministries at St. Thomas More will present further teaching and opportunities for action on Laudato Si in the coming months.
Here are a selection of comments from the Catholic media in recent weeks. Please note that these are not on the published text of the Encyclical, but rather upon statements made by Pope francis in other contexts, and teachings by earlier Popes and theologians.