In the above video, Pope Francis sheds light on the role of environmental protection in his papacy as the fifth anniversary of the launch of Laudato Si’ approaches.
“What kind of world do we want to leave to those who will come after us, to children who are growing up?” the pope asks in preparation for Laudato Si’ Week, which runs from May 16-24.
Five years after issuing his second encyclical, which calls attention to environmental degradation, climate change, and the need for “swift and unified global action,” Pope Francis is renewing the call “to respond to the ecological crisis, the cry of the earth, and the [cries] of the poor.”
It is his desire to engage the world’s 1.3 billion Catholics in the protection of “our common home,” with each community reflecting on their actions to date and taking the next step in addressing the growing environmental crisis.