Do You Speak Laudato Si'?

DO YOU SPEAK LAUDATO SI’? A des kt o p pr i m e r Focusing on the relationship between God, humans, and the Earth, Laudato Si’ is Pope Francis’ call for global environmental justice. It was his first original encyclical - a papal letter on a contemporary social issue outlined within the tradition of Catholic teachings. Signed on May 24, 2015, Laudato Si’ is addressed to “every person living on this planet.” It translates from Italian to “Praise be to You” which is phrasing from the song Canticle of the Creatures written by St. Francis of Assisi. CARE FOR OUR COMMON HOME The subtitle of Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si’. CATHOLIC SOCIAL TEACHINGS The ideals and values that have been disseminated through papal and other Catholic Church documents over time; themes include stewardship of creation, seeking the common good, enhancing the life and dignity of the human person, protecting human rights, and pursuing peace and justice. CURA TERRA Latin for care for the earth. It complements other important ‘caring’ qualities for educational excellence in the Jesuit Catholic tradition: cura apostolica (the institution), cura personalis (the whole unique person), cura propria (oneself), cura studiorum (the plan of studies). ECOLOGY The branch of biological sciences that studies ecosystems, specifically the distributions, abundance and relationships of organisms, including humans, and their interactions with the environment. Ecology comes from a Greek word meaning home. ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE Recognizes the connections between social injustice and environmental problems. For instance, that exposure to environmental harms is inequitably distributed or that those who contribute most to climate change are the least likely to feel the impacts. Environmental justice calls us to advocate for the discriminated and the poor. INTEGRAL ECOLOGY Pope Francis’ perspective on sustainability, outlined in Laudato Si,’ is an integrated, holistic, human approach. Today’s ecological crisis is caused by a multitude of complex and interrelated social, political, economic and environmental problems. Integral ecology presumes that a comprehensive vision, focused on the common good, is necessary for the amelioration of the global environmental crisis. While daunting, Pope Francis, notes that “an integral ecology is also made up of simple daily gestures which break with the logic of violence, exploitation and selfishness.”