Divided in the aspects of The SEE—JUDGE—ACT [1]
- #See – Is based on Laudato Sì Chapter 1
- Chapter 1 – What is happening to our common home presents the most recent scientific findings on the environment as a way of listening to the cry of creation, “to become painfully aware, to dare to turn what is happening to the world into our own personal suffering and thus to discover what each of us can do about it” (LS 19). It thus deals with “several aspects of the present ecological crisis” (LS 15).
- #Judge – Is based on Laudato Sì Chapters 2, 3, 4
– Chapter 2 – The Gospel of Creation intends to face the problems illustrated in Chapter 1. The Holy Father selects Biblical accounts, offering a comprehensive view that comes from the Judeo-Christian tradition, articulating the “tremendous responsibility” (LS 90) of humankind for creation, the intimate connection among all creatures and the fact that “the natural environment is a collective good, the patrimony of all humanity and the responsibility of everyone” (LS 95).
– Chapter 3 – The human roots of the ecological crisis gives an analysis of the current situation, “so as to consider not only its symptoms but also its deepest causes” (LS 15), in a dialogue with philosophy and the human sciences.
– Chapter 4 – Integral Ecology – This is the heart of what the Encyclical proposes as a new paradigm of justice; an ecology “which respects our unique place as human beings in this world and our relationship to our surroundings” (LS 15). In fact, “nature cannot be regarded as something separate from ourselves or as a mere setting in which we live” (LS 139).
- #Act – Is based on Laudato Sì Chapters 5 & 6
– Chapter 5 – Lines of approach and action – The chapter addresses the question of what we can and must do. Analyses are not enough: we need proposals “for dialogue and action which would involve each of us individually no less than international policy” (LS 15). They will “help us to escape the spiral of self-destruction which currently engulfs us” (LS 163). For Pope Francis it is imperative that the developing real approaches is not done in an ideological, superficial or reductionist way. For this, dialogue is essential, a term present in the title of every section of this chapter. “There are certain environmental issues where it is not easy to achieve a broad consensus. […] the Church does not presume to settle scientific questions or to replace politics. But I want to encourage an honest and open debate, so that particular interests or ideologies will not prejudice the common good” (LS 188).
– Chapter 6 – Ecological education and spirituality – The final chapter invites everyone to the heart of ecological conversion. The roots of the cultural crisis are deep, and it is not easy to reshape habits and behavior. Education and training are the key challenges: “change is impossible without motivation and a process of education” (LS 15). All educational sectors are involved, primarily “at school, in families, in the media, in catechesis and elsewhere” (LS 213).
[1] https://www.socialjustice.catholic.org.au/spirituality-for-justice/10-social-teaching/94-reading-the-signs-of-the-times