RESPOND NOW TO THE LAUDATO SI’ CHALLENGE

Five years on from the publication of Laudato Si’, Pope Francis’ encyclical letter exhorting us to “Care for our Common Home”, we are called to act and we are reminded that safeguarding Creation is everyone’s responsibility. Perhaps our experience of the Covid-19 pandemic has made us more aware of what really matters in our lives.

Live Simply

Remember those first days of Lockdown? Food, at its most essential, was a real concern. Suddenly those who had store cupboards were inspecting stock, some people even bought second freezers to stock up as supermarkets rationed purchases. We were confronted by the importance of making use of every scrap of food, of making dishes from scratch. We looked to local producers for fresh dairy, vegetables and fruit. 

• Let’s continue to care about our food, how it is grown and how far it travels to reach our plates. Let’s dramatically reduce food waste. The Vatican’s Laudato Si’ guide says: “whenever food is thrown out it is as if it were stolen from the table of the poor.”

Live Sustainably

Five years on the review of Laudato Si’ also warns against a “throwaway culture” more generally, highlighting how such carelessness depletes natural resources, creates disastrous levels of contaminating waste, kills all manner of creatures. 

• Let’s try to waste less, slash plastic, paper, energy waste, buy only what we need, recycle and re-purpose as much as we can.

Live in Solidarity with the Poor

Does the phrase “circular economy” mean anything to you? The Vatican hopes it does. We are urged to promote such an economy which aims to end the over-exploitation of productive resources, looking towards their long-term maintenance so that resources can be re-used.  It is those living in the poorest countries who are most harmed by over-exploitation. They could be the beneficiaries, as well as us, of investment in technological innovation, sustainable infrastructures and a growth in resource productivity.

• Let’s all learn more about how to achieve a “circular economy” and then lobby for change.