Earlier this year, Pope Francis called all Catholics to join a new global grassroots movement committed to caring for creation and creating a more sustainable world.
The Laudato Si’ Action Platform — based on the pope’s 2015 encyclical “Laudato Si’ On Care For Our Common Home” — was unveiled May 25 by the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development. During the seven-year plan, the pope envisions communities working together to achieve a more sustainable world, according to a report from Catholic News Service.
The platform opened for enrollment on Nov. 14. Registration will continue through April 22, 2022.
In the Archdiocese of Louisville, four religious congregations have joined the global movement.
The Dominican Sisters of Peace, the Sisters of Loretto, the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth and the Ursuline Sisters of Louisville have made commitments to “journey toward integral ecology,” according to a joint press release from the congregations.
The four congregations have “long cared for Earth in their personal and communal practices and commitments,” the release said.
“Their care for Earth also touches upon their commitment to serve people who suffer from the effects of the destruction of our natural resources and changing climate,” said the release. “They each recognize, though, that systemic change is just as crucial as personal change. These communities pledge to move beyond their commitments to sustained action, developing programs, policies and actions that reflect their commitment to LSAP (Laudato Si’ Action Platform).”
According to the platform’s website, it is taking a “ground-up approach” because “action is urgently needed.”
The initiative “is rooted in the strengths and realities of communities around the world, empowering all to take ‘decisive action, here and now’ as we journey towards a better future together,” according to the website. “Action is urgently needed. Our Creator called the human family to be the steward of creation, but we have neglected that call. Our hotter, dirtier, deader planet is driving up the risk of suffering. The most vulnerable suffer above all. At this kairos moment, we are responding to the call for healing in our relationships with God, our neighbors, and the Earth itself.”
The platform calls for changes in seven categories:
- Response to the cry of the poor,
- Response to the cry of the earth,
- Ecological economics,
- Adoption of sustainable lifestyles,
- Ecological education,
- Ecological spirituality and
- Community resilience and empowerment.
The Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development is providing support through the platform’s website for those participating. The platform’s website, laudatosiactionplatform.org/, offers resources and guidance including:
- Planning Guides, which can be used to discern and implement a response to the initiative.
- A library of resources to provide practical, concrete guidance on ways to take action.
- Recognition of an individual’s, congregation’s, family’s or organization’s progress.
- Webinars on actions and events.
- Resources to strengthen a community.
- Ways to connect directly with other participants.
- Inspiring stories of people who are taking action.
In the United States, a campaign called “We’re All Part of God’s Plan(et)” has been launched to educate and support Catholic organizations participating in the Laudato Si’ Action Platform. For more information on this campaign, visit godsplanet.us/.
