“Laudato Si’ has inspired many to see the interconnectedness of ourselves with all creation.” For integral ecology expert Jacqui Remond, that insight has helped broaden the way Catholics think about care for our common home. Source: Catholic Voice.
Ms Remond, from Australian Catholic University, recently joined Cheryl Dugan, Director of the Laudato Si’ Movement for Asia-Pacific, in meeting Canberra-Goulburn Archbishop Christopher Prowse.
She believes Laudato Si’ , Pope Francis’ encyclical on the environment and ecology, has had a significant influence in Australia.
“I think it’s had a fantastic impact because it has inspired many to see the interconnectedness of ourselves with all creation, and to recognise the First Nations peoples of our country and our many lands in Australia as being authentic leaders of integral ecology that is 60,000 years plus ahead of us,” Ms Remond said.
Archbishop Prowse shares her belief that First Nations people have much to contribute to the Church’s understanding of care for creation.
“I’m delighted to hear that you mentioned the Aboriginal people because clearly they give us a great deal of leadership in stewardship and care for creation,” Archbishop Prowse said.
For Ms Dugan, encouragement comes from seeing Laudato Si’ take root in communities around the world.
“What encourages me really is that we now have 28,000 animators around the world who are working with our communities to bring the Laudato Si’ vision to life,” Ms Dugan said.
“We have many Church leaders who are also helping to bring Laudato Si’ to life in their dioceses and in their parishes.”
At the heart of that vision is a call to consider how the choices and systems that shape everyday life affect both people and creation.
Ms Remond said her work “focuses on deepening human thinking, being and doing so that our relationships and systems of economy, education, health, finance, food, transport and so forth respect the rhythms, limitations, and realities of Earth’s ecosystems, a gift from our loving Creator”.
“This necessarily includes listening to the cries of the Earth and the poor in real contexts and transforming the way we live and think about governance,” she said.
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Laudato Si’ calls Catholics to see the bigger picture (Catholic Voice)
