A Statement from the Laudato Si’ Desk Responsible Bishop on the occasion of Laudato Si’ Week 2023

In his encyclical “Laudato Si’: On care for our common home,” published on May 24, 2015, Pope Francis teaches that all created things are interconnected and invites us to work on an integral ecology that aims to live in harmony with God, nature, humanity, and ourselves. Laudato Si’ Week is a time to turn our hearts to prayer, action, and celebration of the Pope’s call.

This year’s Laudato Si’ Week is from May 21 to 28, and the universal theme is “Hope for the Earth. Hope for Humanity.” To deepen this theme, we invite you to watch “The Letter,” a documentary film released last year on October 4, the feast of St. Francis of Assisi. The documentary responds to the call of Laudato Si’ and invites people representing the voices of the marginalized poor, indigenous people, youth, and the natural world to the Vatican to speak with the Pope.

At the beginning of the documentary, Lorna Gold, chair of the Laudato Si’ Movement, tells viewers: “Laudato Si’ is a letter that Pope Francis has written to you. … He wrote every person on the planet a letter to share his concerns about the state of the world.”

Have you read Laudato Si’, this letter from the Pope? If you haven’t already, please read it. And think about how in your daily life you can respond to the Pope’s letter about your relationship with God, nature, people, and your own self. “The Letter” will surely help you do that.

“The human person grows more, matures more and is sanctified more to the extent that he or she enters into relationships, going out from themselves to live in communion with God, with others and with all creatures.” (LS 240)

Those who spoke with the Pope in “The Letter” were moved by each other’s experiences, wisdom, and thoughts and began a new journey. Let us, especially during Laudato Si’ Week, deepen our relationships through fellowship and dialogue with people and advance our commitment to integral ecology with hope.