‘Laudate Deum’ a ‘timely call’ to ‘choose life or death,’ say Catholic ecological advocates

Oct 10, 2023

by 

(OSV News) — Pope Francis’ latest plea to urgently address global warming and climate change is being hailed by Catholic ecological advocates as “a great call to action.”

On Oct. 4, the pope released his apostolic exhortation “Laudate Deum” (“Praise God”), warning that the clock is ticking on the dangers of climate change — and both a paradigm shift and practical strategies are critically needed to avert looming disasters in nature and human society.

In the exhortation, which follows his 2015 encyclical “Laudato Si’: On Care for Our Common Home, Pope Francis said “the world in which we live is collapsing and may be nearing the breaking point” due to climate change, “one of the principal challenges facing society and the global community.”

With the global average temperature rapidly rising to greenhouse gas emissions, extreme weather and dramatic climate shifts have impacted millions, particularly the impoverished, said the pope, who also lamented an international inertia in reining in emissions.

Rooted in Biblical love of creation

The new exhortation is “timely,” said Tomás Insua, co-founder and executive director of the nonprofit Laudato Si’ Movement, which works through close to 900 member organizations in 115 countries to foster a Catholic approach to the care of the environment.

Insua, who is based in Rome, told OSV News that the pope’s message underscores how “it’s a deeply Christian thing to be concerned for God’s beloved creation (and) … deeply rooted in this very biblical love of creation.”

“Laudate Deum” relies on “stark language” to convey the grave impact of global warming on weather and climate, said Dan Misleh, founder of the Catholic Climate Covenant, a Washington-based nonprofit that works with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops on ecological awareness and advocacy.

“My thoughts are that Pope Francis is heartbroken,” Misleh told OSV News. “He wrote ‘Laudato Si” eight years ago. And here we are in 2023 … and he’s saying, ‘We just need to do more. We have no more excuses for inaction.'”

The direct tone of “Laudate Deum” speaks to people — among them, Catholics — who reject scientific evidence supporting global warming, said both Insua and Misleh.

“The pope is reminding us that what the scientists are telling us is really a crisis,” said Insua. “One of the misleading things about (the term) ‘climate change’ is that ‘change’ is a word that is neutral. It could be positive or negative. … By using the word ‘crisis’ instead of just mere ‘change,’ (Pope Francis) is reminding us that this change is actually very harmful. It’s our most vulnerable, the poorest of our brothers and sisters, and our children and grandchildren who pay the costs (of global warming) most (of all). So we have to take it seriously.”

Seeing the impact of climate change

Bishop Joseph J. Tyson of Yakima, Washington, episcopal moderator for Catholic Climate Covenant, told OSV News he knows firsthand the impact of climate change.

During a pastoral visit two years ago to a parish in that state, he witnessed “the entire town … encircled by flames” from field fires sparked due to lack of rainfall. The blazes displaced some 15 parish families, even as “waves of smoke” drifted from Canada from other fires, creating hazardous working conditions for nearby fieldworkers harvesting fruits.

Like Pope Francis, Bishop Tyson decried “the lack of progress by our society, including our church, in addressing this crisis.

“Our excuse can’t be a lack of knowledge, since so many in the scientific community have been warning us of an impending ‘climate crisis,'” he said. “Nor should our response be apathy — current and future generations have little patience for inaction. Financial costs and inconvenience are also off the table — practical energy efficiency and renewable energy efforts often save money and make our buildings healthier and better performing.”

What is an apostolic exhortation?

In an Oct. 4 reflection published by the Trenton Monitor, Bishop David M. O’Connell of Trenton, New Jersey, predicted that some faithful would balk at “Laudate Deum,” and stressed that “the Holy Father’s call for all people, especially people of faith, to be stewards of our ‘common home’ is not a negligible part of our faith and morality.”

“If the believer ignores responsibility for the world in which we live, the resources it provides and the people with whom we share them, what can we possibly expect from those who do not believe?” said Bishop O’Connell. “If we show no regard or respect for the divine plan for creation, what can we say of human plans, human possibilities, human hopes for a sustainable future?”

He noted that as an apostolic exhortation, “Laudate Deum” is “a magisterial document that ranks third in importance of papal teachings after apostolic constitutions and encyclicals.”

Continuity of papal teaching on the environment

Pope Francis’ insights align with previous papal calls from St. John Paul II and St. Paul VI for “the importance of our dialogue between faith and science,” which is “a longstanding Catholic tradition,” and for environmental stewardship, said Insua.

“I pray that the Holy Father’s vigilant attention to the threats to our “common home” — which fundamentally includes every human life — falls upon fertile ground, converting our hearts and inspiring us all to do whatever we can to make a positive difference,” said Bishop O’Connell.

That transformation will require increased pastoral formation on care for creation, said Misleh.

“I think part of (the problem) is that it’s not being preached in churches,” he said. “There’s not a lot of good catechesis for the Catholic faithful on these issues. They see this as a distraction or a secondary part of … how to act in their faith. They’re more concerned about other issues.”

Understanding humanity’s role

Misleh and Insua both highlighted the new exhortation’s emphasis on the need to understand humanity’s rightful role in creation.

“It’s a little bit paradoxical that (the pope’s) message here is addressed to all people of goodwill, and the very title of the document is ‘Praise God’ (in Latin),” said Insua. “Pope Francis is engaging with all people of goodwill, but he’s doing it from a Christian perspective. And in the choice of the title, (he is) putting God squarely in the middle as the point of reference for all of our environmental concern. All these questions are to be firmly grounded in God and reminding ourselves that we are creatures.”

Misleh agreed, saying that as in “Laudato Si‘,” Pope Francis pointed to “three relationships that we need to pay attention to: our relationship with God, our relationship with each other and our relationship with creation. And what Pope Francis is saying is that when any of those three relationships are not tended to, the other two suffer.”

Misleh said the new exhortation’s call was prophetic, evoking the words of the Lord, spoken through Moses, to the ancient Israelites as recorded in Deuteronomy 30:19: “I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. Choose life, then, that you and your descendants may live.”


This article comes to you from Our Sunday Visitor courtesy of your parish or diocese.

Appreciating the here and now

11 Oct, 2023
Three men were sitting together on a park bench, sharing stories on an autumn afternoon. The first man recounted one tale after another about his past. He longed for the simplicity of yesteryear. He spoke of nostalgic days of yore, recalling events of times gone by. The first man yearned for his youth. He closed his eyes and pictured things the way they once were, frustrated at what had been lost. The second man spun yarns about the future. He imagined lavish vacations he planned, picturing places he would go near and far. He imagined things he would do once he retired. He envisioned a boat he would build. He fantasized about all the free time he would have for fishing. Lost in his reveries, the second man closed his eyes and sighed in anticipation of things to come, frustrated by waiting for what would be. The third man did not step back into his past nor did he lean into his future. Instead, he pointed out the fair day. He called attention to the beautiful colors of the changing leaves, the deep blue skies. He greeted people as they passed; and they returned his good cheer. The third man felt the sun on his face. He smelled the scent of purple grapes ripe on vines covering a nearby arbor. And he was content in the moment. The good steward understands the importance of the present, neither dwelling on nor forgetting the past, neither anticipating nor ignoring the future. This article comes to you from Grace In Action ( Our Sunday Visitor ) courtesy of your parish or diocese.

October 11, 2023

11 Oct, 2023
Lk 11:1-4 Through Jesus’ example, the disciples know the importance of prayer in maintaining right relationship with the Father. They ask him to teach them, and he does, beginning with glorifying God, then asking for needs, including the need for forgiveness and concluding with God’s support at the end of time. I sometimes lack discipline in my prayer life and then when I do pray allow distractions to creep in. Help me to be present to you and to rest in your love for me. This content comes to you from Our Sunday Visitor courtesy of your parish or diocese.

Gifts of God

11 Oct, 2023
“Creation and the goods of the earth are gifts of God bestowed upon all human beings who are at the same time their custodians and beneficiaries.” — Pope Francis Reflection: What gifts — spiritual and material — has God given you, and how do you use them to give God glory? This content comes to you from Our Sunday Visitor courtesy of your parish or diocese.

Meet the man who risked his life to migrate

11 Oct, 2023
by Katie Yoder Yohan Garcia still remembers when, at 16 years old, he migrated from Mexico in search of a better life. His faith in God, he said, sustained him through his harrowing journey. “If I had not been thinking about [how] the Lord was my companion, I’m not sure whether I would have survived,” the 36-year-old in Arlington, Virginia, said of his trip 20 years ago that spanned hundreds of miles and included a treacherous hike through the Arizona desert. He knew God accompanied him every step of the way, he said, even when, at one point, he found himself facing death, with a gun pointed to his head. Garcia shared his story with Our Sunday Visitor after writing a blog post about his migrant journey for the National Eucharistic Revival — an ongoing initiative by the U.S. Catholic bishops to renew the Church by enkindling a living relationship with Christ in the holy Eucharist. A journey that began with the Eucharist His journey to the U.S., Garcia revealed, began with the Eucharist. “Before leaving our hometown, most of us, who are members of the Catholic faith, will go to the chapel, just bringing flowers to Our Lady of Guadalupe and asking for her blessing to guide us,” he explained, “but also really spending some time in front of the Blessed Sacrament.” Like what you're reading? Sign up to receive our daily email! He prayed, knowing that he would face challenges ahead. “We knew that it is not guaranteed that you’re actually going to be able to make it, so you do have to put your trust in the Lord,” he said. “For me, that was sort of the case, wanting to have God’s blessing.” Today, Garcia works at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, where he serves as the Catholic social teaching education manager of the Office of Education and Outreach for the Department of Justice, Peace and Human Development. He also serves as an adjunct instructor at the Institute of Pastoral Studies at Loyola University Chicago, where he teaches a course on Catholic social ethics and migration. His life, he said, still centers on the Eucharist . “The reason why I say the Eucharist is really my refuge and the source of my ministry is because I feel that, if I don’t go to Mass on Sunday or if I don’t have that relationship with the Lord, I feel like I’m lost,” he emphasized. “I feel like there’s no sense of purpose in my life.” A dance with death In 2003, Garcia migrated to the U.S. “Many of us, we were migrating out of necessity, not so much out of choice,” he said. “I think that is the case of today’s migrants and refugees.” He nearly lost his life — several times. In particular, Garcia remembered a perilous walk through the desert. That’s when, he said, armed men robbed and assaulted his group. In his blog, he reveals the conversation he had with their leader, who approached Garcia and pointed a gun to his head. This man, Garcia writes, asked him if he was afraid to die. “At that moment I cried out to God in my heart, ‘Lord, will this be my last day?'” he recalls. “I decided to migrate in search of a better life, but is this how it will end?” “I was afraid,” he describes in the blog, “but somehow I managed to say, ‘You have no authority over me. It is not for you to decide whether I live or die.’ I knew in my heart, just as I had known a few days before in the chapel, that I was not alone.” The leader left him untouched. “I knew that the Lord was there,” Garcia told Our Sunday Visitor of his journey. He remembered another time when his group suffered from freezing temperatures that dipped into the teens. As they walked to the border, their guide or smuggler disappeared in the middle of the night, leaving them stranded. The people that knew each other huddled together for warmth. Garcia knew no one. Again, he said, “I knew that God was there.” Through his journey, Garcia reflected on why he and other migrants risked their lives in search of a new life. “I began to realize that the reason why we leave our lands or our countries, places of origin, is because God has a plan for us,” he said, pointing to the story of God calling Abraham to a new land in search of a promise. A culture of encounter Garcia shared how the Catholic faith serves as a bridge when it comes to the issue of migration. “I think we should look into what unites us as members of the human family,” he said. “And I think the parish, especially the Eucharist and the Mass, offer that to us as faithful.” At his parish, Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Church in Arlington, he shared that many cultures come together to worship God. “In doing the line for Communion, it doesn’t matter who you are or where you come from, what is your social status, your immigration status, whether you are a man, a woman, coming from another neighboring community, the most important thing [is] that you are there,” he said. “And there’s unity in that, but that unity is complete only when we receive the body and blood of Christ.” To understand the migrant crisis, Garcia recommended living a culture of encounter , a phrase used by Pope Francis. “I think the most important thing is to have personal encounters with migrants and refugees,” Garcia said. He encouraged Catholics to get to know migrants rather than relying solely on the news or social media. “I think it also makes you more human by being able to see yourself in that person, by being able to see Christ in the face of that person, but also even going into a very mystical or theological experience, being able to see them as the body of Christ,” he said. Garcia also recommended studying what the Church says about the topic. A home away from home Parishes, Garcia said, play a key role in welcoming people.  “When you are a Catholic, even before you find a place to live, you oftentimes look for the parish ,” he said. This was, he said, his experience as he lived in various cities. While in Chicago, he remembered entering his parish there for the first time. “As I opened the door and I went in, the priest that was about to celebrate Mass just grabbed me and hugged me and he said, ‘Welcome, I was waiting for you,'” he remembered. The encounter surprised him. “I was like, ‘Father, this is the first time I’m here at your parish. You don’t know me,'” he said. The priest’s response changed Garcia’s perspective: “He was like, ‘No, you’re meant to be here and you’re welcome.'” Garcia called accompaniment crucial. He stressed that his success today is the result of other people — family, friends, bosses, professors, classmates — accompanying him. “I think it is through them that God has acted and has been there for me,” he said. A special message Garcia shared his message for migrants who may be entering the country feeling worried, scared, or unsure of the future. “I think one of the things that I always share with people, [is] to look at their migration journey as part of God’s plan, that there’s a reason why they are here,” he said. He also wanted them to know that migration is not only a part of their identity as human beings but also as children of God. “We are always on a journey in search of the promised land,” he said. “Today it might be the United States. Tomorrow, it’s being united with God in heaven .” He urged that people care about them, from people in their communities to the U.S. Catholic bishops and Pope Francis, and that they should hold on to hope. “There’s hope despite the darkness, and there is light at the end of the tunnel,” he said. “I’m a living testament of that.” This article comes to you from Our Sunday Visitor courtesy of your parish or diocese.
Show More
Share by: