Ten years ago, Pope Francis wrote his second encyclical letter Laudato Si’, named after St Francis of Assisi’s famous Canticle, setting out a bold vision for the care of our common home. During this Laudato Si’ Week, marked in Australia from 16 to 24 May 2025, all the faithful and people of good will are invited to celebrate the inspiring ecological legacy of our late Pope, and to recommit to caring for God’s creation, as we embark on the journey with our new Pope Leo XIV.
In preparation for the 10th anniversary of Laudato Si’, the Diocese of Parramatta’s Mission Enhancement Team (MET) and the Australian Cardijn Institute co-hosted a national webinar on 8 May 2025 with two members of the Diocesan Laudato Si’ Action Team. Sue Martin and I, Sebastian Salaske-Lentern, reflected on the ecological journey that Pope Francis has taken us on in the past 10 years.
A disheartening state of the world?
Looking at the current state of the world and our natural environment, Sue and I posed the rather uncomfortable question whether we have all made enough progress in tackling the triple environmental crisis of climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss, or if it is time to despair?
As Pope Francis explained in his 2023 Apostolic Exhortation Laudate Deum,: “Despite the many negotiations and agreements, global emissions continue to increase.” Sue and I shared data that illustrates how the governments in Australia and in most industrialised countries around the world continue to deliver strategies and policies that are just not ambitious enough to slow down, stop or even reverse climate change. The same applies to pollution and biodiversity loss.
Sacred Heart Parish, Blackheath is a member of the Caritas Earth Care Program. Image: Jazz Chalouhii/Three Two One Photography/Diocese of Parramatta
Signs of hope
Nonetheless, there are signs of hope, in the current Jubilee Year, themed “Pilgrims of Hope”.,. For example, many state and local governments are stepping up environmental action, where federal governments act too slowly. Another encouraging sign is the growing engagement of civic society, including faith communities and organisations, in local, national and international processes that aim to protect the environment.
And while the adoption of Pope Francis’ teaching on caring for God’s creation could have been faster, and practical action to protect our common home could have been more courageous, environmental awareness has been gradually growing across the Church over the past 10 years. This alone will be one of the lasting legacies of Francis’ transformative papacy.
Caring for our common home is a space where ecumenical, interfaith and civic collaboration can flourish. As participants of the webinar were interested in some practical pointers as to where people can get involved, Sue and I named some collaborative initiatives and networks like the Sydney Alliance, the Australian Religious Response to Climate Change (ARRCC), or the Faith Ecology Network (FEN), all of which are partners of the Diocese of Parramatta.
Stay tuned for Part two of this series.
A recording of the webinar with Sebastian and Sue will soon be available on the Australian Cardijn Institute’s website.
To learn more about how to engage with Laudato Si’ in the Diocese of Parramatta, visit Care for the Environment, or subscribe to the monthly Peace, Justice & Ecology News from the Diocese’s Mission Enhancement Team (MET).
Sebastian Salaske-Lentern is the Peace, Justice & Ecology Coordinator for the Diocese of Parramatta and a member of MET.
