To celebrate the fifth anniversary of Laudato Si’, Pope Francis invites Catholic communities to participate in Laudato Si’ Week, from 16 to 24 May 2020. CIDSE is among the supporters of the initiative.
The weeklong programme coincides with the fifth anniversary of the signature of Laudato Si’ and seeks to engage the world’s Catholics in ambitious actions to protect our common home, reiterating the Catholic Church unique and vital role in addressing the environmental crisis. In his video, Pope Francis renews his urgent call to respond to the ecological crisis.
Pope Francis’ Laudato Si’ encyclical sparked worldwide action to protect the environment among Catholic communities and beyond. However, scientific analysis reveals that the pace of climate change and of mass extinctions continues to rise. To meet this challenge, more ambitious commitments are urgently needed.
Against this backdrop, Pope Francis and the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development encourage Catholic communities to reflect on their actions to date and to then take the next step. Ambitious actions will vary from community to community; a suggested guide to the most impactful actions is available at the Laudato Si’ Week website.
CIDSE and its members will also continue sparking reflections and actions on sustainable lifestyles to protect our common home within its Change for the Planet- Care for the People ongoing project, that has in the past five years promoted Laudato Si’ messages such as live simply and ecological conversion.
The Laudato Si’ anniversary coincides with other significant environmental events to take place later this year. In November, at the 26th United Nations climate change conference (COP 26), countries will announce their plans to meet the goals of the Paris climate agreement. The UN’s conference on biodiversity, during which the world will have the chance to set meaningful targets to protect creation, will take place in October and 2020 will also be a crucial year for the European Green Deal.
A comprehensive toolkit and template promotional materials can be found on the Laudato Si’ Week website.
Laudato Si’ Week is sponsored by the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development. More information about partners can be found here.