An Overview of the Central Themes of Laudato Si’

by Joe Cady


An Overview of the Central Themes of Laudato Si’ (On Care for our Common Home) by Joe Cady In 2015, Pope Francis published his Encyclical Laudato Si’, On Care for our Common Home, as a way of reiterating the Church’s call for responsible stewardship of creation and calling all of us to ensure that our methods of production and consumption honor our Creator, respect the Lord’s command to care for creation, and serve the needs of the human family (especially the poorest and most vulnerable). While it is highly recommended that you read the document itself, the following will serves as an overview of some of the central themes of the document, and will hopefully help you read the original text more fruitfully.

At the very beginning of the document, Pope Francis states that his target audience isn’t just Catholics or Christians, but everyone - “I wish to address every person living on this planet” (LS 3). While this is a Church document, it is not meant just for the Church, it is a document meant for the world - for “all people” (LS 3). Why? Because as Gaudium et Spes (the Second Vatican Council’s document on The Church in the Modern World) says, “the Church…goes forward together with humanity and experiences the same earthly lot which the world does (GS 40). When it comes to problems and challenges facing humanity, the Church does not stand separate from the world, she exists in it and so shares in the concerns of the one human family. The idea is at the heart of Gaudium et Spes, which opens with the words, “The joys and the hopes, the griefs and the anxieties of the men of this age, especially those who are poor or in any way afflicted, these are the joys and hopes, the griefs and anxieties of the followers of Christ. Indeed, nothing genuinely human fails to raise an echo in their hearts” (GS 1). And it is for this reason that Pope Francis says, “In this encyclical, I would like to enter into dialogue with all people about our common home” (LS 3).

With these introductory considerations in place, let us now take a look at a few of the central themes of the encyclical and explore how they fit within the teachings and mission of the Church.


(1) We must be neither exploiters of nature, nor worshipers of it.

Pope Francis insists on a proper understanding of the dominion over creation spoken of in the book of Genesis (Gen 1:28). This dominion, he says, cannot be viewed as placing mankind over creation as its lord and master. While it is true that God has given humanity a certain degree of control and power over creation, this power is given not to exploit but to “till and keep” (Gen 2:15). Our job is to care for creation and act upon it in a way that gives honor to our God. The problem is that the land “now cries out to us because of the harm we have inflicted on her by our irresponsible use and abuse of the goods with which God has endowed her. We have come to see ourselves as her lords and masters, entitled to plunder her at will” (LS 2). And when our dominion over creation is understood as domination, we fall out of proper relationship with the world, and this leads to exploitation.

I think we can draw a parallel here to Jesus’ words to the twelve when the question came up of who would sit at his right and left in the kingdom. Jesus said to them in reply, “You know that the rules of the Gentiles lord it over them, and the great ones make their authority over them felt. But it shall not be so among you. Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant” (Mt 20:25-26). It is true that the twelve would be given authority over the entire Christian community, but this power was meant not for the exploitation of God’s people, but for their care and proper growth. Our dominion over creation means that we must act in relation to the created order in a way that “lead[s] all creatures back to their Creator” (LS 83). Again, we can see an analogous image of this in the role of parents in relation to their children. Certainly God gives parents a certain authority and control over their children. But this is done with the expectation that this authority be exercised in a way that presents their children back to God in a way that honors God as the source of life. This same idea is embodied in the offertory prayers at mass, when the priest says, “Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation, for through your goodness we have received the bread we offer you: fruit of the earth and work of human hands, it 2 will become for us the bread of life.” Our job is to receive creation as a gift and then use it in a way that gives honor and glory to God.

At the same time, however, we must never elevate the created world to the level of God. While creation manifests God, it is not itself God. For “there is an infinite distance between God and the things of this world, which do not possess his fullness” (LS 88). It is always a mistake to divinize the earth and its creatures, for in doing so, “we would end up demanding of them something which they, in their smallness, cannot give us” (LS 88). We are called to exercise responsible stewardship of creation because it is God’s creation. But, precisely because it is a creation of God, we must not allow it to take the place of the Creator. We have a responsibility toward nature, not because it is God, but because it is God’s, who says, “the land is mine; for you are strangers and sojourners with me” (Lv 25:23).


(2) The need to change structures and change hearts.

A constant theme of Catholic social teaching is that solutions to various problems must involve both a change of hearts and a change in the structures of society. When faced with a particular problem, be it hunger, abortion, or environmental degradation, the question is often, Should we work to change the hearts of individuals or to change the laws and structures of society.” And that answer is, YES! - a proper response will always involve both. Pope Francis repeatedly emphases this point with phrases like, “we [must] look for solutions not only in technology but in a change of humanity” (LS 9); solutions “which would involve each of us as individuals, and also affect international policy” (LS 15).

Why is this important? For 2 reasons: (I) Because the health of society is dependent upon the health of its members, and vice versa. People more readily develop the virtue of justice when the structures of society are marked by truth, justice and the common good. But society becomes just and good through the virtue and character development of the members of that society. The one feeds the other. Therefore, we must simultaneously be at work to change the habits and actions of individuals as well as the structures of society related to production and consumption. (II) Because “there can be no renewal of our relationship with nature without a renewal of humanity itself” (LS 118). What does he mean by this? Because the ultimate source of the problem is found in the heart of man, establishing a proper relationship with nature demands more than just the right laws and policies (important as these may be). A proper response to environmental problems requires that we “replace consumption with sacrifice, greed with generosity, wastefulness with a spirit of sharing” (LS 9). “The existence of laws and regulations is insufficient in the long run to curb bad conduct, even when effective means of enforcement are present. If the laws are to bring about significant, long-lasting effects, the majority of the members of society must be adequately motivated to accept them, and personally transformed to respond. Only by cultivating sound virtues will people be able to make a selfless ecological commitment” (LS 211). What is needed is both a transformation of structures and conversion in the human heart. In fact, without this interior transformation of humanity, no policies will ever be entirely effective. Therefore, Pope Francis says we need to develop a new way of seeing things…


(3) A paradigm shift is needed.

Again, while they do have a role to play, the solution to environmental problems is not found primarily in policies, but in a change in our entire worldview. What is needed is what Pope John Paul II called “a global ecological conversion” (LS 5), or what Pope Francis calls “a bold cultural revolution” (LS 114). Elsewhere he calls for a “radical change in the conduct of humanity” (LS 4). For he says that environmental progress will only be possible if it is accompanied by “authentic social and moral progress” (LS 4). As we can see from this, to reduce this encyclical to simply the Pope’s response to various environmental issues would be a mistake. The problem Pope Francis is highlighting is much bigger than the particular issues. The problem is found in our way of viewing reality, and so, what is needed is a paradigm shift - “there needs to be a distinctive way of looking at things, a way of thinking, policies, an educational programme, a lifestyle and a spirituality which together generate resistance” to the current paradigm (LS 111). Without such a conversion or paradigm shift, we will 3 simply be treating the symptom rather than the cause of the problems, and this will ultimately prove ineffective. Related to this is the importance of…


(4) A return to ethics and moral realism.

The reason why even our best efforts to care for creation often prove ineffective was observed by John Paul II, who said that “little effort has been made to safeguard the moral conditions for an authentic human ecology” (LS 5). Pope Francis makes this same point by saying that “the problem is that we still lack the culture needed to confront this crisis” (LS 53), “nor are there genuine ethical horizons to which one can appeal” (LS 110). Damage to both our social and natural environments are “ultimately due to the same evil: the notion that there are no indisputable truths to guide our lives, and hence human freedom is limitless” (LS 6). The problem is that our world today, marked as it is by an extreme relativism, lacks the necessary moral framework from which to approach these issues. “In the absence of objective truths or sound principles” our policies will prove insufficient to limit man’s exploitation of nature (LS 123). For “when the culture itself is corrupt and objective truth and universally valid principles are no longer upheld, then laws can only be seen as arbitrary impositions or obstacles to be avoided” (LS 123).Thus, our efforts to adopt an integral ecology will be effective only through a return to natural law, moral realism, and an adequate anthropology. “The most extraordinary scientific advances, the most amazing technical abilities, the most astonishing economic growth, unless they are accompanied by authentic social and moral progress, will definitively turn against man” (LS 4).


(5) The connection between social issues and environmental issues.

One of the most important keys to understanding this encyclical is Pope Francis’ understanding of the interconnectedness of a healthy environment and a healthy society; and the relationship between care for creation and care for the poor. He says, “the human environment and the natural environment deteriorate together; we cannot adequately combat environmental degradation unless we attend to the causes related to human and social degradation” (LS 48). In other words, we cannot address environmental questions in isolation; we must always see them within their social context. Pope Francis says, “We have to realize that a true ecological approach always becomes a social approach; it must integrate questions of justice in debates on the environment, so as to hear both the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor” (LS 49). There is a fundamental link between a society marked by oppression and injustice, and an ecology of exploitation and waste - exploitation of people and exploitation of creation go hand in hand. In a similar way, there is a fundamental link between man’s lack of concern for the weak and the poor, and man’s lack of concern for the environment to be passed on to future generations. Thus, “We are faced not with two separate crises, one environmental and the other social, but rather with one complex crisis which is both social and environmental. Strategies for a solution demand an integrated approach to combating poverty, restoring dignity to the excluded, and at the same time protecting nature” (LS 139). All of this points to a final theme of Laudato Si’…


(6) The interconnectedness of all of our relationships.

Our very existence is marked by 4 fundamental relationships: (1) with God, (2) with each other, (3) with all of creation, and (4) with ourselves. As one of these relationships fall into disorder, the rest inevitably follow. And the main point that the Pope is making (again, not just to Christians but to the entire world) is that the ultimate source of the problem is that we have fallen out of right relationship with God. And when we lose sight of the Creator, our attitudes and actions toward creation (both people and the land) become distorted. As Pope Francis says, “Our relationship with the environment can never be isolated from our relationship with others and with God” (LS 119).

On this flip side, there is hope, because to the extent that we get any one of these relationships right, the rest of our relationships can begin to follow suit. Now, obviously, getting right with God is the best and most important means of setting the rest of these relationships right. But, even as an intermediary step, getting right in our relationship with creation and each other can also be a step along the path, moving us toward a right relationship with God. 4


What can be done?

In considering all of this, we are left with the practical question of what we can do about all of this. Pope Francis begins to provide an answer by saying, “Many things have to change course, but it is we human beings above all who need to change. We lack an awareness of our common origin, of our mutual belonging, and of a future to be shared with everyone. This basic awareness would enable the development of new convictions, attitudes and forms of life. A great cultural, spiritual and educational challenge stands before us, and it will demand that we set out on the long path of renewal” (LS 202). The first thing that needs to happen, he say, is a real conversion of mind and heart, what the Catechism calls “a radical reorientation of the entire life.” And as this conversion unfolds, it should lead us to evaluate our methods of production and consumption. Regarding the latter, Pope Francis says, “A change in lifestyle could bring healthy pressure to bear on those who yield political, economic and social power. This is what consumer movements accomplish by boycotting certain products. They prove successful in changing the way businesses operate, forcing them to consider their environmental footprint and their patters of production. When social pressure affects their earnings, businesses clearly have to find ways to produce differently. This shows us the great need for a sense of social responsibility on the part of consumers. ‘Purchasing is always a moral – and not simply economic – act’” (LS 206). Another aspect of this conversion is to embrace a degree of voluntary simplicity. There are little changes that each of us can make in order to be better stewards of creation. “There is a nobility in the duty to care for creation through little daily actions, and it is wonderful how education can bring about real changes in lifestyle. Education in environmental responsibility can encourage ways of acting which directly and significantly affect the world around us, such as avoiding the use of plastic and paper, reducing water consumption, separating refuse, cooking only what can reasonably be consumed, showing care for other living beings, using public transport or car-pooling, planting trees, turning off unnecessary lights, and any number of other practices” (LS 211). Obviously, these alone won’t solve the problem, but these habits and small changes can become a catalyst to an overall shift in the way we understand and approach our common home.