Care For Our Commom Home
Laudato Si' is an appeal from Pope Francis addressed to "every person living on this planet" about how we are shaping the future of Earth. Pope Francis calls the Church, the world, and each person to acknowledge the urgency of our environmental challenges and to join him in embarking on a new path. The last three popes have all called these challenges “a moral issue.” This encyclical (Papal letter), the first to focus solely on ecology and human’s place within and relationship with God’s creation, is written with both hope and resolve, looking to our common future with candor and humility. Pope Francis, emphasizing the importance of the document, has explicitly stated that the encyclical is now added to the body of the Catholic Church’s social teaching. Learn more about the Holy Father’s statement and how you might respond in faith by exploring this website.
On Care for Our Common Home
Click here to read the complete Papal Encyclical (Laudato Si’), of the Holy Father Francis.
Tips on Caring for Our Common Home
Calculate the carbon footprint for your household at www3.epa.gov/carbon-footprint-calculator, then consider some of the steps suggested by the calculator to lower your carbon footprint. You might be surprised at the potential savings in carbon emissions, and cash.
Know and closely follow local recycling/compost/trash rules. This can help to keep buyers of materials to be recycled (many in China) from rejecting material arriving from specific areas of the U.S. and sending it to the landfill.
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When working in the garden, try to use a watering can instead of a hose to focus on areas that need watering. Try to water early in the day to reduce evaporation. These steps can help to conserve dwindling water resources.
When visiting your favorite coffee shop, bring along your own travel mug to cut down on paper waste. Use a reusable spoon to stir your coffee and not the stirrers the shop provides — each year an estimated 138 billion straws and stirrers are thrown away in the U.S. ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
Pope Francis' TED Talk
In a 2017 TED Talk, the Pope spoke on Why the only future worth building includes everyone. He is a strong advocate of global action against climate change, to which he has devoted his powerful 2015 encyclical, Laudato sì ("Praise be to you"). He invites us to practice "tenderness," putting ourselves "at the level of the other," to listen and care.
View the following short videos
Learn more about Praise Be to You the Papal Encyclical (Laudato Si’) of the Holy Father Francis On Care for Our Common Home. Use the video icons with “play” arrows.
Laudato Si’
This 6-minute, un-narrated, bilingual video is the official Vatican video about On Care for Our Common Home
Top 10 Things You Need to Know
about Pope Francis' Laudato Si’
This 4-minute video narrated by Fr. James Martin, SJ, editor-at- large of the Jesuit magazine America presents highlights of On Care for our Common Home.
Live Wisely, Think Deeply
This 4-minute animated video by the Catholic Agency For Overseas Development (CAFOD) presents highlights of On Care for Our Common Home for children.
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What you can do to care for our common home and still shop … Guide to Green Shoppping https://www.jomashop.com/blog/articles/guide-to-green-shopping