Social Forum
Please note that this event has passed. It took place on Tuesday, March 29, 2022, at the Church of the Annunciation in Minneapolis.
Discussion Question:
Laudato Si’: How are we as Catholics called to care for our common home?
In 2015 Pope Francis published his encyclical Laudato Si’. It is a letter about creation and humans’ relationship with our environment. It laments the depletion of natural resources and how the effects of climate change are felt more deeply in less developed parts of the world. But it paints a hopeful picture. It reminds us that we can change our actions. We can join together and work to resolve these problems.
Video
Laudato Si’ Overview
In this video, forum panelists highlight what the text of Laudato Si’ says.
Highlight Video
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21-minute Summary
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Full Event Recording
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Excerpts from Catholic Spirit Article
‘Laudato Si’’ inspires Catholic inroads in caring for creation
By: Susan Klemond
“Let’s talk about what’s important to us as people, together on this journey, where we are trying to create and help build the kingdom of heaven but we’re also on the journey to heaven,” said Kat Doyle, director of justice and peace ministries for the Archdiocese of Atlanta. “Both of those things together are what (Laudato Si’) is about.”
To explore climate questions and consider the legacy left for future generations, the foundation invited Doyle and two other panelists to discuss theological and moral ramifications, while raising awareness and encouraging involvement in environmental efforts.
“Laudato Si’” is a call to action rooted in Catholic social teaching on human dignity, said Bishop Emeritus Richard Pates of Des Moines, who served as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis from 2001-2008.
“These social justice teachings are applicable to almost any teaching of the Church because they’re cut into the reality of who we are as individual people and who we are as a Church,” he said.
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