This year marks Laudato Si’s tenth anniversary, Pope Francis’s groundbreaking encyclical on ecology, environmental justice, and the moral imperative of caring for creation. Pope Francis took a humanitarian approach through my research into eco-theology across Catholic, Jewish, and Indigenous communities in a world where the environment is often a political talking point or a scientific debate. An approach that focuses on the poorest, most marginalized members of the community and the immense and disproportionate effects that climate change has on those individuals. This mindset reformation is why, ten years later, Laudato Si is still an extremely influential document.

Laudato Si’ (1) aims to cement the link between environmental and social justice: “Today, however, we have to realize that a true ecological approach always becomes a social approach; it must integrate questions of justice in debates on the environment, so as to hear both the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor” (Laudato Si’, no. 49).

This quote highlights, in particular, the relationship Pope Francis aims to draw clearly. Although this belief ought to be considered androcentric, Laudato Si provides a framework for all people and living things. Further care for the environment is solidified as a necessary experience for all Christians, not just Catholics, due to the stewardship elements in scripture. During creation in Genesis 2, “the Lord God took the man, and He placed him in the Garden of Eden to work it and to guard it” (Genesis 2:15). This verse outlines the man as the caretaker of the garden, someone to guard it. Further, it suggests that man will work the land. This idea of the man working the land can be tied to stewardship.

One element rarely considered in the research I have found is the immense strides the Vatican City State has taken toward sustainability and ecological care. The world’s smallest country has committed to sustainability: transitioning the Sistine Chapel to LED lighting, cutting water waste by 60% through innovative gardening techniques, and acting as a testing ground for climate initiatives. The Vatican City State serves as a small model of environmental justice, real change, and policy that can help the environment. These are not sweeping, unattainable policies but concrete examples of what it looks like when faith meets action.

While theology provides the spiritual grounding, data provides the context. (2) A 2023 Pew Research study found that 57% of American Catholics view climate change as an extremely or very serious issue, matching the national average and higher than most other Christian groups surveyed. This suggests something distinct about the Catholic perspective regarding environmental concerns. One potential explanation? The lasting influence of Laudato Si’ and the Church’s evolving focus on ecological justice.

My ongoing research draws me to these intersections: faith and politics, doctrine and activism, belief and action. The tenth anniversary of Laudato Si invites us not only to reflect on how far we have come but also to ask where we are going. How do we live out this call in an increasingly fragmented world? What does it mean to choose stewardship, not just as individuals, but as a community?

Through my continued research in Jewish and Indigenous perspectives on environmental justice, I hope to find an answer or at least a clearer picture of the opinions and frameworks each religious group follows.

Author: Mia Clevano

1. Laudato Si’ of the Holy Father Francis On Care for Our Common Home. Encyclical Letter, 24 May 2015. Libreria Editrice Vaticana.
2. Jeff Diamant, “The Pope Is Concerned About Climate Change. How Do U.S. Catholics Feel About It?” 28 September 2023. Pew Research Center.