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Alarms about climate change can be found in many daily and weekly news outlets. Many of these alarms raise concerns, rightly, about certain catastrophe to people, the flora and fauna of land, sea, and air, and all of Earth's ecosystems. Some reports in mainstream media include accounts of the vulnerabilities among people in low-lying coastal communities and other precarious environments with increasingly limited access to water, threats from erratic weather events, to hurricanes, drought, wildfires, extreme heat, sink holes, and volcanic eruptions. Climate catastrophe will affect the most vulnerable people hardest and first with loss of life, greater poverty, food and potable water insecurity, infrastructure collapse, and displacement. This essay explores the challenges of climate-related catastrophes and mitigations efforts by the United Nations, Disability Activists, and Catholic Social Teaching initiatives in reference to Persons with Disability by arguing for the need to consider the threats of catastrophe to vulnerable populations first. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article traces the development of Catholic ecological hermeneutics over fifty years, leading to Pope Francis's encyclical Laudato Si' (2015). Analyzing key church statements, it reveals the expanding biblical sources used and efforts to reinterpret them. The interdisciplinary nature of sustainability and Christian churches' involvement in academic, ecumenical, and interreligious fora have driven this "hermeneutical effort." Although not critically examining difficult passages or revising Scripture systematically, Catholic ecotheological reflection has integrated multiple sources into a fruitful dialogue with the Bible, contributing significantly to sustainability. This study underscores the evolution of Christian social thought, emphasizing its capacity to update biblical insights and adapt Catholic Social Teaching for public theology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents the epistemological dimensions of the term "technocratic paradigm" which is used by Francis in Laudato Si' and Laudate Deum to describe our relationship with technology, and through it, with Creation; the Pope considers this attitude as the human roots of the ecological crisis. The article begins expounding the very concept of technocratic paradigm as it is presented by the Pontiff in the abovementioned documents; it has been frequently gone under the radar of most of the comments written about the encyclical. The article underlines its cognoscitive dimensions because it argues that those are de origin of the disordering of the relationship between humankind and the environment. The article presents also technology as a form of knowledge, to show more clearly the epistemological biases embedded in the technocratic paradigm and, at the same time, shows how the Pope's position is very close to some of the current philosophical and theological analysis of technology. Finally, it will show the ways to overcome these biases, as proposed by Francis, in order to build a sound relationship with technology that can lead us to care about our Common Home, as the Pontiff and contemporary environmentalist in general, aspire. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores analytically different senses and usages of the concept of wonder, in order to analyze which of them are more fruitful for fostering care for nature, especially when it tends to avoid scientific reductionism or fundamentalist understandings of religions. Wonder that is understood as openess to mystery and uncertainty is particularly positive precisely beacause it moves us away from the aforementioned dangers. In this sense, wonder as awe seems to be the most positive sense of wonder. Inasmuch wonder questions our way of doing things and/or our preconceptions it may be a useful resource to embrace for environmentally friendly habits. The article compares this sense of wonder that Rachel Carson developed in order to question our dominion of nature and tendency to control it, with Pope Francis' claim that paying attention to reality rather than to our deformed visions of nature is necessary to foster care for the environment rather than destroying it. In conclusion the article argues that wonder is a powerful resource, for believers and non-believers alike, to build a better relationship with the environment in order to preserve it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of the integral speaks to the holistic nature of the globe. It is predicated on the claim that everything/everyone is related, and the destruction of one is the destruction of the whole. As such, it places a moral burden on each part to work towards the preservation and dignity of the whole. This ethics of union is aptly captured in Laudato Si' (On Care for Our Common Home), a papal encyclical of Pope Francis. African moral theory perfectly captures this ethic: I am because we are. What this communal ethic does is constantly maintain the view that humans are interconnected to one another. We interrogate how this communalistic approach of the African is implicated and vindicated in integral ecology and the special place Laudato Si' holds in the world. The end is to justify both the African and ecclesiastical approaches as decolonial ecology and then see how the uniqueness of both approaches can birth a universal approach. However, to achieve our aim, we employ the method of conversation that comes from the African place. We choose conversation because we believe that Laudato Si' promotes a 'theology from the borders'. If our statement is true, then we will best be able to project our argument using a method that comes from the borders but is universally possible in its application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Catholic Church recognizes the role of Catholic schools in teaching the faith to students and how it can be applied in their daily lives. With the global challenge we face due to climate change, the education sector plays an essential role in promoting awareness, adaptation, and mitigation against climate change. This study describes the possibility of integrating climate sensitivity into the religious education curriculum for the senior high school level, the Unified Schools of the Archdiocese of Lipa (USAL). Through a focus group discussion among religious education teachers of USAL, climate sensitivity is found in the elements of the religious education curriculum through the objectives, contents, learning experience, and assessment. A climate-sensitive religious education curriculum in USAL is evident through the integration of environmental education into religious education subjects by the teachers on selected lessons for the senior high school level that aims to bring out the relationship between the faith being taught and the action that the students must do toward the environment to care and protect it. Thus, climate sensitivity bridges how one must live the faith in favor of God’s creation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this article is to explore some of the main obstacles for earnest and successful political engagement with the climate crisis. Firstly, an account will be given on the place of the human person in creation from a Catholic Social Teaching perspective. This is followed by an analysis of 'the technocratic paradigm' that has as its aim gaining control over external objects to possess, master, and transform using rational procedures. It has been influential in particular for our dominating economic system and conceptions of 'the good life'. The last part touches upon the role of politics and some very practical challenges. Overcoming the 'technocratic paradigm' seems necessary from a Catholic Social Teaching perspective to heal the disharmonious relation between the human person and nature that lies at the centre of our current crises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The first part of this article offers a systemic comparison of Pope Francis's "integral ecology" with the "technocratic paradigm." The second part is devoted to an internal critique of the paradigm: (i) the primacy accorded instrumental causality in a "disenchanted world," (ii) the technical reduction of prudence, and (iii) the consequent fragmentation of ethical systems. The critique supports key aspects of Francis's ecological ethics: the option for the poor, intergenerational responsibility, and recognition of the intrinsic value of nonhuman nature. The third part shows how such an internal critique underwrites the uses of religious rhetoric in public reasoning: the re-enchantment of the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Religions play a key role in shaping our worldviews, values, and behaviours and this includes our interactions with the environment. Fuelled by the development of the technocratic paradigm, Christianity has historically received a bad reputation for perpetuating anti-environmental views. Nonetheless, the development of ecotheological strands and the emergence of faith-based organisations focusing on climate justice have aided in producing the much-needed environmental reformulations. As such, this paper seeks to provide a broad overview of the role of Christianity in shaping worldviews, from those hindering environmental action to more contemporary ecotheological approaches discussing climate change, particularly Pope Francis' encyclical Laudato si'. Christianity's preparedness to navigate climate change will be theorised in relation to empirical evidence and the work of European faith-based organisations, as well as the methodological opportunities that the field of ecolinguistics can offer to inform effective communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What is agroecology's moral vision, and what are the larger metaphysical, even theological, implications of it? Even though agroecology as a field now gathers collaborators from across the natural and social sciences, as well as members of farming communities and international movements, there remains relatively little explicit and sustained reflection upon this question. My main contention is that expanding agroecology's dialogue of wisdoms (diálogo de saberes) to include theological traditions can address this lacuna. To show how, I explore the contribution of one particular theological tradition—Catholic social teaching—and how its account of integral ecology enables agroecologists to deepen their engagement with fundamental questions raised by their own normative commitments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unpacking the experience of Ecojesuit as a global network helps in exploring new ways of collaborating across institutions and committed individuals for better participation in global processes. Ecojesuit, a tiny voice at the fringes of the United Nations (UN) meetings on climate and sustainability, adds effort to the broader social commitment for global action. It connects with other organizations sharing goodwill, capacities and voices caring for our common home and those struggling in the local context of climate disasters. While COP28 has been a great disappointment for those seeking fossil fuel phaseout, research of the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is increasingly upheld. Such participation in international relations deepens the Jesuit Universal Apostolic Preferences (UAPs) and Jesuit regional Conferences in apostolic planning. The process of growing a Jesuit network of broad collaboration takes decades; each revision involves greater participation and inclusion of present realities and meaning in life.

The human origin of climate change is an objective and incontrovertible matter of fact. The relationship of harmony and interconnection between the human species, other species and the Earth has broken down. Increasingly widespread environmental devastation, global warming and pollution-related diseases are signs of this breakdown. The anthropocentrism "of exploitation and not service", supported by a technocratic paradigm, is responsible for this situation, as we have read in the recent apostolic Exhortation Laudate Deum in complete continuity with Encyclical Laudato si'. This means a technocratic paradigm that obsessively pursues neverending growth on a planet limited in resources and regenerative capacity. It is, therefore, urgent to assume an attitude of responsibility and intervention before it is too late, which must start with climate change: the planet's first emergency, among other emergencies. This appeal is addressed to every person living on the Earth and that we find in Laudate Deum which strongly reiterates the reasons for an ecological conversion, an apposition already present in Laudato si'. National and international institutions and the scientific community are called upon to concretely and urgently react to this appeal. The article reflects on the two documents relevant scientific and socio-economic aspects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Children and adolescents need a vision of hope and success that will motivate them to take action. This discussion describes some ways of pondering the mandate in the Bible to care for the earth and for each other. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article sets out to compare the works of Pope Francis' Laudato Si' and Leonardo Boff's Cry of the Earth, Cry of the Poor in the way in which they share a common theme to do with the environmental crisis facing our earth. The similarities include their focus on Latin America, the importance of cross-cultural dialogue, and their concern for the welfare of the poor and other created beings. Both authors argue that anthropocentrism is a misinterpretation of Scripture and that a new cross-cultural dialogue is necessary to address this issue. While Pope Francis advocates using the power of science and technology to create an 'integral ecology', Boff prefers to start with cosmology and develop 'new paradigms'. A comparative study can contribute to a reflection on the relationship between Christian theology and ecology, politics, and human beings; an analysis of anthropocentrism can clarify how human beings deal with their relationship with other created beings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Military Science Review / Hadtudományi Szemle is the property of National University of Public Service and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Pope Francis' encyclical Laudato Si' encompasses concerns about oppressed groups, the relationship between human beings and nature, and the welfare of the poor, and more importantly, how these issues are viewed in the context of the ecological crisis. This paper offers a Lutheran perspective on the encyclical, examining the intricate interplay between humanity and the natural world, the impoverished, anthropocentrism, and the crucial role of advancing intercultural dialogue. Pope Francis has emphasized the use of science and technology to establish an "integral ecology." However, this paper argues that authentic faith generates personal awareness of the sinful aspects of the environmental crisis and inspires virtuous behavior. God created nature, therefore we need to care for it. This analysis makes an important contribution to the scholarly exploration of the connections between Christian theology and ecological issues. In addition, it provides a critical assessment of anthropocentrism, which should be more concerned with the value of other created beings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A Laudato si’ aponta para a crise de um paradigma civilizatório, que se instala também um certo desaparecimento da sensibilidade estética, e indica assim para a relação entre uma educação estética e a preservação de um ambiente sadio (Ls 215) para resistir a um pragmatismo utilitarista contemporâneo. O presente artigo pretende explorar os elementos contidos na encíclica social e na perspectiva do Papa Francisco que possam corroborar para uma estética teológica da Casa Comum. A Laudato si’ aponta para a crise de um paradigma civilizatório, que se instala também em um certo desaparecimento da sensibilidade estética, e indica assim para a relação entre uma educação estética e a preservação de um ambiente sadio (Ls 215) para resistir a um pragmatismo utilitarista contemporâneo. O presente artigo pretende explorar os elementos contidos na encíclica social e na perspectiva do Papa Francisco que possam corroborar para uma estética teológica da Casa Comum, nomeadamente na medida em que estes elementos dizem respeito a uma interconexão com todas as coisas e seus desdobramentos interculturais na cultura do encontro e éticos na cultura do cuidado.

The climate crisis is widely regarded as the most significant challenge facing humanity in the 21st century In light of these concerns, Pope Francis announced the encyclical Laudato Si’ in 2015, which conveyed both concern and hope in the fight to mitigate and adapt to climate change. This is further reinforced by the publication in 2023 of the encyclical Laudate Deum, which once again emphasises the relationship between religion and ecology. In this regard, an educational intervention was conducted to ascertain the extent of knowledge and acceptance of these texts and their premises among first-year high-school students. The action comprised an initial classroom analysis of the encyclicals Laudato Si’ and Laudate Deum, during which various passages were read and commented on. This was followed by a second phase, in the form of a focus group, during which the students, in groups of five, were invited to share their perspectives on the relationship between faith and environmental stewardship. The preliminary study was conducted with a sample of 90 students in the second year of Baccalaureate from a secondary school in Barcelona, Spain.

In the present essay, we want to show how the Canticle of the Creatures, which we might call "The Canticle of Universal Brotherhood", is much more than the Canticle of Brother Sun or of a single man. The author himself is much more than the exceptional case of a nature-friendly medieval saint who, therefore, continues to inspire the promoters of ecology and, especially after the papal encyclical Laudato Si', constitutes the ecumenical matrix for the care of our common home. To this end, in this paper, we focus on two moments that, in the construction of the tutelary figure of Francis of Assisi, constitute a kind of diptych or portals which open and recapitulate the reconstructive intuition he bequeathed to us: (1) the vocational moment: Go and repair my house; and (2) the testamentary moment, in which the Founder, who never wanted to found anything, legates his manifesto for building the common home as a universal brotherhood, turning the "stones" into a canticle. Above all, we want to highlight the relevance of Franciscan spirituality, expressed particularly in the Canticle of the Creatures, and thus the Franciscan aesthetics for the modern ecology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Laudato si’ points to the crisis of a civilizing paradigm, which can also be seen in a certain disappearance of aesthetic sensitivity, and thus indicates the relationship between an appropriate aesthetic education and the preservation of the environment in order to resist a contemporary utilitarian pragmatism. This paper aims to explore the elements contained in the social encyclical and in the perspective of Pope Francis that can corroborate a theological aesthetics of the Common Home. In particular, these elements relate to a notion of interconnectedness with all things and their intercultural and ethical consequences, respectively in the culture of encounter and the culture of care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The theme of “citizenship”, object of study in the social and political sciences, is also addressed in the Social Doctrine of the Church. An example of this is the concept of “integral ecology” developed in the encyclical letter Laudato si´ (LS). The analysis of the two concepts allows a broader understanding of both, making it a contemporary and relevant reflection for the debate on the care for the common home and the participation of people in society. This article intends to explain how the notion of citizenship dialogues with the concept of integral ecology, so that the understanding of one and the understanding of the other are mutually enriched. To this end, A. Cortina’s theory of citizenship and the vision of ecology of Catholic social thought will be analyzed, highlighting the elements of contact and convergence between them. In this way, it makes explicit that as citizens exercise their rights, they will contribute to the creation of favorable con¬ditions in the struggle for an integral ecology. On the other hand, commitment to caring for our common home implies guaranteeing a dignified life for people as members of society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The encyclical Laudato si', appreciated by many and criticized by others, is directed at everyone and is intended to be an instrument for reflecting on the ecological crisis. In particular, it provides tools for implementing ecological conversion and caring for our common home. This article stops to reflect on how pastoral practice, using evangelization and catechesis, can help pastoral workers create appropriate teaching methods in order to respond concretely to the cry of Mother Earth. St. Francis of Assisi offers us, through his evangelical life choices, a song that praises God through His creation. It is a song which can create a new culture for ecology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Studia Ecologiae et Bioethicae is the property of Uniwerystet Kardynala Stefana Wyznskiege w Warzawie and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Revista Estudos Feministas is the property of Revista Estudos Feministas and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

While the writings of Robert Doran exhibit significant ecological awareness, the present paper argues that the corpus of Bernard Lonergan and Doran's own work have overlooked an ecological dialectic that arises naturally from Lonergan's approach. This article suggests there is an anthropocentric bias operating that prevents its recognition, which needs to be identified and overcome if we are to address our current ecological crises. To that end, this article identifies a double dialectic operating in the social order. The first dialectic, as identified by Lonergan and expanded by Doran, is that between intersubjectivity and practical intelligence; however, this dialectic is embedded in a second larger dialectic between the social order itself and the order of the nonhuman processes from which the social order itself emerges. The appreciation of this dialectic has been blocked by our neglect of cosmological meanings and values, as exemplified by the Indigenous peoples of our world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Teología y Vida is the property of Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile, Facultad de Teologia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

A Encíclica Laudato Si’ (louvado sejas), do Papa Francisco, tornou-se uma referência incontornável nos debates contemporâneos sobre a questão ecológica por ser um texto com um diagnóstico fundamentado da situação de crise global que o mundo atravessa, apontando propostas importantes para a enfrentar. Texto de diálogo e aberto ao diálogo, contudo, essa abertura não se refere às mulheres, dado que reproduz o olhar tradicional sobre elas, um olhar que as vê, mas não as toma em linha de conta, como aponta o título escolhido para este trabalho, onde se pretende mapear, na Encíclica, os traços que demonstram que ela não contou com as mulheres, antes, as ignorou ou retomou perspectivas doutrinais que as secundarizam e diminuem o seu valor social e ontológico, ignorando, assim, as décadas de debates que as mulheres, dentro e fora da Igreja, têm desenvolvido em torno do que significa ser mulher.

In the light of the biblical message, food is God’s gift to all people. Church’s documents emphasize that food is a natural human need, and every human has a natural right to food. This, however, presents new challenges to humanity today, because market-oriented agriculture often prevails, which does not focus so much on the quality and availability of food for all people, especially the poor, but puts profit at the center. The first part of paper attempts to concisely present the attitude of the Holy Scriptures towards food, which contribute to today’s reflection on solving the problem of production and availability of healthy food. The second part presents church’s guidelines, aimed to overcome today’s injustices in the world and provide everyone with access to food, and highlights the importance of producing healthy food for the protection of health. The third part of the paper deals with certain decrees on food production and control and the promotion of ecological production in the Republic of Croatia. Nevertheless, adopting the legislation of the European Union and accepting its guidelines on the development of agriculture has brought a certain shift in recent years. This legislative framework will contribute to the strengthening of the Croatian rural community, the encouragement of small family farms, and the increase of food production, especially healthy, ecologically grown food.

The concept of the integral speaks to the holistic nature of the globe. It is predicated on the claim that everything/everyone is related, and the destruction of one is the destruction of the whole. As such, it places a moral burden on each part to work towards the preservation and dignity of the whole. This ethics of union is aptly captured in Laudato Si’ (On Care for Our Common Home), a papal encyclical of Pope Francis. African moral theory perfectly captures this ethic: I am because we are. What this communal ethic does is constantly maintain the view that humans are interconnected to one another. We interrogate how this communalistic approach of the African is implicated and vindicated in integral ecology and the special place Laudato Si’ holds in the world. The end is to justify both the African and ecclesiastical approaches as decolonial ecology and then see how the uniqueness of both approaches can birth a universal approach. However, to achieve our aim, we employ the method of conversation that comes from the African place. We choose conversation because we believe that Laudato Si’ promotes a ‘theology from the borders’. If our statement is true, then we will best be able to project our argument using a method that comes from the borders but is universally possible in its application.

Until recently, in the social teaching of the Church, the principle of social justice has been primarily related to issues of poverty, social inequalities, wealth distribution, and goods. Pope Francis extends this understanding to environmental issues. While diagnosing and describing the contemporary ecological crisis (our inability to resolve it in particular), he identifies the same mindset and mechanisms underlying both the social and ecological crises. Pope Francis's encyclical Laudato si’ is, therefore, a revolutionary text, which, based on integral ecology, reintroduces justice (similarly to Rerum Novarum over 130 years ago) as the key to addressing a new social issue – the contemporary ecological crisis. The comprehensive perspective on the contemporary global crisis as a socio-ecological crisis, in Laudato si’ finds its reference in the developed concept of Environmental Justice – an ecological justice as a new type of social justice. The viewpoint of a moral theologian allows us to perceive the duties associated with it not only as a legal obligation (debitum iuridicum) but also more deeply as a moral obligation (debitum morale).

Este artículo analiza el modo como las diversas corrientes de ética ecológica, o ecoética, han conceptualizado la degradación medioambiental y la pérdida de biodiversidad, afirmando que su expresión más dramática —el ecocidio— es un mal. En diálogo con la ecoética teológica, plantea —frente al peligro del monismo moral que a menudo permea el debate ético de la sostenibilidad— la conveniencia de adoptar una visión pluralista en la que los diversos modos de razonamiento ético confluyan para denunciar el mal del ecocidio.

The first few decades of the twenty-first century have posed various challenges to humankind such as the worldwide impact of the changing patterns of globalization processes, economic crises, the pandemic, the war in Ukraine, and the specter of deglobalization illustrate. The unknown and unpredictable future is a reason for utmost concern for the contemporary society that Byung-Chul Han characterizes as an "achievement society"—one that is dominated by "excessive positivity" and that has evolved into a "doping society". This "palliative society" is such because it is unable to cope with pain, and it is marked by a kind of permanent analgesia that prevents urgent reforms from taking place. In this essay, I examine how Pope Francis's encyclical letters Laudato Si' (2015) and Fratelli Tutti (2020)—by calling for an integral ecology (which connects environmental, economic, political, social, cultural, and ethical issues), social friendship, solidarity, and the common good—instill hope in the burnout society that Han reflects upon, urge action toward, and encourage changes to overcome in the current environmental and human crisis, as well as to building a diverse future that is not palliative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the 2015 publication of his encyclical letter Laudato Si': On Care for Our Common Home, Pope Francis emerged as a leading religious voice (alongside Patriarch Bartholomew) advocating for ecological justice and environmental sustainability. This remarkable exercise of global leadership has demonstrably influenced subsequent discourse, activism and deliberations on the environment, including the Paris Agreement of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 21) in December 2015. In order to advance the collective understanding of the diagnosis of the environmental crisis and the prescriptions for change presented by Pope Francis in this teaching document, this essay examines key terms, claims and conceptual tools presented in its pages. This essay opens with a pointed analysis of the historical context within which this particular religious contribution to environmental justice proceeds. It closes by tracing certain key outcomes and ongoing impacts of the contribution of Pope Francis to this area of social concern. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper theoretically examines and empirically assesses the ethical statements by Pope Francis and Patriarch Bartholomew in terms of their ability to achieve global environmental sustainability. The theological discussion of environmental precepts in documents/speeches based on the recent academic literature suggests that (absolute feasibility) Pope Francis pursues unfeasible environmental and social goals (personal fulfillment, poverty reduction, population growth), whereas Patriarch Bartholomew pursues feasible environmental goals (meeting God's will, following God's law); (relative feasibility) Pope Francis suggests unclear and inconsistent values, whereas Patriarch Bartholomew suggests clear and consistent values; (absolute reliability) Pope Francis relies on many instruments close to alternative attitudes to the environment (happy sobriety, contemplative style, human rights), whereas Patriarch Bartholomew rests on few instruments close to unambiguous concerns for the environment (happiness from sanctity, ascetism, duties to community); (relative reliability) Pope Francis suggests broad behavioral rules, whereas Patriarch Bartholomew suggests targeted behavioral rules. The statistical analysis of documents/speeches as if they are environmental regulations (using "sin") based on dynamic panel data shows that Patriarch Bartholomew > Pope Francis in absolute feasibility; Patriarch Bartholomew > Pope Francis in relative feasibility; Pope Francis > Patriarch Bartholomew in absolute reliability; and Patriarch Bartholomew > Pope Francis in relative reliability. Pope Francis and Patriarch Bartholomew together reduced the global average per capita use of the Earth's resources by 5% per year. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During this time of ecological crisis, spiritual guides are needed to provide inspiration and impel action. In the Roman Catholic tradition, saints act as role models and are associated with particular causes, locations, or professions. Who, then, are the ecological saints, whose witness can inspire hope and action in support of the environment? This article explores that question in two ways. First the writings and accounts of saints who are traditionally connected to the environment are examined to produce six indicators of the beliefs, characteristics, and actions of ecological saints. Second, a green gaze is applied to Saint Marguerite Bourgeoys, a seventeenth‐century educator who lived in what would become Montreal, Canada, by comparing her writings and accounts of her life to the six indicators of an ecological saint. Identifying more ecological saints can promote environmental responsibility, and the six indicators of an ecological saint can be the lens through which beloved saints are re‐examined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

G. K. Chesterton, William Wordsworth, and Gerard Manley Hopkins are set in conversation with Pope Francis's Laudato Si' (2015), to show how far those writers anticipate its animus against technocratic capitalism, but also, more surprisingly, how far Laudato Si' challenges the progressive assumptions of contemporary eco-activism. Chesterton, Wordsworth, and Hopkins do not merely foreshadow and clarify the theological stakes of a papal document. By making even single words expressive of a whole worldview (achieving what William Empson called a 'compacted doctrine'), their writings prove more imaginatively affective, as well as more theologically adequate than the communicative formalities available to the theological treatise as a genre. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Friedrich Nietzsche and Albert Schweitzer end up defending radically similar, yet critically opposed conclusions about the human animal and its place in nature, particularly with regard to the ethical awareness that does or does not follow from this situatedness. Arthur Schopenhauer's notion of the will accounts for their similar foundational assumptions. But what accounts for the fact that their shared desire to affirm the will to life leads to fundamentally opposed ethical conclusions? What keeps Schweitzer's ascetic ethic of reverence for life from evolving into Nietzsche's anti-ascetic vision of a second innocence beyond good and evil? We argue that situating the notion of reverence for life within an environmental virtue ethics, as one environmental virtue among many, aiming at ecological conversion, better articulates and motivates the disposition demanded by the ethics of reverence for life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyses the encyclical letter Laudato Si' against the backdrop of the contemporary and theological "spatial turn". It asks if and how Laudato Si' incorporates the main elements of this movement that pushes for a reappraisal of space and/or place in theological reasoning. This inquiry is motivated by a public and constructive understanding of theology, with the conviction that it too should bring its specific contribution to the challenges of the "Common Home". The article starts by characterizing this theological "spatial turn", and by putting it into the context of similar trends in other human and social sciences. Secondly, it focuses on the analysis of Laudato Si', namely by considering the role played in it by spatiality. Thirdly, and in a brief systematic way, it presents some concluding remarks that describe how Laudato Si' may be interpreted in the "spatial turn" framework. Following these remarks, the article concludes that there is a moderate incorporation in Laudato Si' of the concerns that promote and sustain a theological "spatial turn". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As seedbeds, academic institutions must be an avenue of reflection that involves different sectors of the community. The social encyclical Laudato si' centralizes on the theme of integral ecology, where it emphasizes interconnections, which include human and social dimensions. This paper attempts to explore Laudato si's elaboration on ecological education. While existing Catholic Social Teachings from Rerum Novarum until Caritas in Veritate address different social realities, the question on the topic of ecology, as well as teachings on the environment, has been scarcely incorporated. This paper analyzes Laudato si's conceptual elaboration of ecological education and how this conceptual elaboration provides the framework for the encyclical's vision of ecological education in the contemporary period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Religions play a key role in shaping our worldviews, values, and behaviours and this includes our interactions with the environment. Fuelled by the development of the technocratic paradigm, Christianity has historically received a bad reputation for perpetuating anti-environmental views. Nonetheless, the development of ecotheological strands and the emergence of faith-based organisations focusing on climate justice have aided in producing the much-needed environmental reformulations. As such, this paper seeks to provide a broad overview of the role of Christianity in shaping worldviews, from those hindering environmental action to more contemporary ecotheological approaches discussing climate change, particularly Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato si’. Christianity’s preparedness to navigate climate change will be theorised in relation to empirical evidence and the work of European faith-based organisations, as well as the methodological opportunities that the field of ecolinguistics can offer to inform effective communication.

As seedbeds, academic institutions must be an avenue of reflection which involves different sectors of the community. The social encyclical Laudato si’ centralized on the theme of integral ecology where it emphasizes interconnections which includes human and social dimensions. This paper attempts to explore Laudato si’s elaboration on ecological education. While existing Catholic Social Teachings from Rerum Novarum until Caritas in Veritate address different social realities, the question on the topic of ecology as well as teachings on the environment has been scarcely incorporated. This paper analyzes Laudato si’s conceptual elaboration of ecological education and how this conceptual elaboration provides the framework for the encyclical’s vision of ecological education in the contemporary period.

The protection of nature has always been a matter of concern for the legislator, as is reflected in article 45 of the Spanish Constitution. However, the defense of the environment -from the legal point of viewhas not obtained a unanimous response and it has been necessary to reconcile positions that advocate the consecration of the so-called 'Rights of Nature'. This conception presents the change from an anthropocentric vision to an ecocentric vision of the protected legal good of the environment, as is made clear in Laudato si', making this position a fundamental pillar when it comes to typifying crimes against the environment at present, following the mandate of our fundamental law. Therefore, the aim of this research is to study the ecological crime in the Spanish Penal Code and to find out to what extent it includes the recent ecocentric positions defended, among other documents, by Laudato si'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Laudato Si', Pope Francis highlights the oceans as integral to our threatened common home and stresses the need for more effective ocean governance. Theologians can help to meet that need. By turning their attention to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and its further development, and by practicing "ocean empathy," they can join ocean scientists, NGOs, international lawyers, and others in caring for the oceans by shoring up the law of the sea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Las tradiciones religiosas son relevantes para hacer frente a la crisis ecológica actual. Junto con la vida concreta de sus comunidades y de su incidencia institucional, el cristianismo ha visto la constitución progresiva de una nueva área disciplinar teológica. Además de presentar el debate actual sobre el alcance de las transformaciones que los desafíos ecológicos requieren de los contenidos teológicos clásicos, se ofrecen algunas perspectivas de futuro de la ecoteología. Por otra parte, se identifican tres nudos problemáticos que requieren un mayor desarrollo en relación con la naturaleza, la humanidad y la acción divina. Y que apuntan, en términos generales, a pensar teológicamente la singularidad y la capacidad de actuar (agencia) —y sus consecuencias— más allá de la especie humana, a profundizar teológicamente las categorías de límite y poder, y a generar narrativas teológicas que permitan ver la realidad y sostener una acción comunitaria lúcidamente esperanzada que colabore con la consumación de todo lo creado.