THE ECONEWS REPORT: Pope Francis’ Environmental Legacy

Detail from a promotional image for “The Letter,” a Laudato Si’ film.

Pope Francis centered the climate crisis during his papacy, highlighting the moral obligations that we all share to our fellow humans (especially the poorest among us, as they will be disproportionately impacted by climate change) as well as our responsibilities to the Earth itself. In 2015, Pope Francis released his first encyclical, Laudato si’: On Care for Our Common Home, a 40,000-word treatise on both the Biblical mandate to care for creation but also a holistic discussion of the effects of modernity on the ecological function of the planet. While the encyclical became part of the Catholic Church’s official teaching, the encyclical was written for both believers and nonbelievers.

Catholics are continuing to work together to address climate change through the Laudato Si’ Movement, a nonprofit that joins over 900 Catholic organizations and over 10,000 trained grassroots leaders known as Laudato Si’ Animators to “inspire and mobilize the Catholic community to care for our common home and achieve climate and ecological justice.”

Anna Johnson, North American Director of the Laudato Si’ Movement, joins the program to discuss Pope Francis’ lasting legacy of climate action.

Interested in joining fellow Catholics for Climate Action? Laudato Si’ Movement has a California chapter!

Listen to this episode here from the Lost Coast Outpost (where you can also read a transcript), Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Buzzsprout.

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The EcoNews Report is a weekly, half-hour environmental news/chat program broadcast on KHUM Community Radio (104.3-104.7 FM) every Saturday at 10 am PST. Hear from host and EPIC Executive Director Tom Wheeler and esteemed guests. Browse past shows from EPIC's archives, listen to or read transcripts on the Lost Coast Outpost, or listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Buzzsprout.