An Initiative of the Laudato si' - Alliance for the Care of Our Common Home

On 4th October 2023, the feast of St. Francis of Assisi, patron of ecology, Pope Francis released Laudate Deum, the apostolic exhortation that builds on the landmark encyclical letter Laudato Si’ of 2015. He raised again his prophetic voice for the care of Our Common Home. The unprecedented challenge facing the planet and people can only be addressed through the lens of an integral ecological vision championed by Pope Francis in Laudato Si’. The rebuilding of Our Common Home calls for an alliance of all people of goodwill cutting across  all segments of society. To respond to such a prophetic call, the Pontifical Universities and Atheneums in Rome created an alliance to launch the Online Course in English in partnership with many leading groups involved in the area of creation care. 

The Joint Diploma “An Initiative of the Laudato si' Alliance for the Care of Our Common Home” took place from January to June 2024 with monthly online sessions on the a) situation of our Common Home b) the Gospel of Creation c) the Human Roots of the Crisis d) Integral Ecology e) Course of Actions and f) Ecological Education and Spirituality. The sessions were guided by some of the known authors and advocates of our Common Home such as Fr. Joshtrom Isaac Kureethadam, Dr. Erin Lothes, Prof. Dominique Lambert, Dr. Celia Deane-Drummond, Amy Echeverria, and others.

The course aimed 1) to promote and spread the message of Laudato si’ and to initiate a sort of cultural revolution, creating ecological awareness among people; 2) to educate and encourage people to take some personal as well as common initiatives to care for Our Common Home. Each of the six modules covered all areas related to current ecological challenges-from theology to philosophy, from economics to socio-cultural and politics, from scientific analysis to faith and spirituality.

More than three hundred participated in the course, including CADIS leaders from Thailand, Spain, Kenya, Benin, Italy, Australia, and India, responded to the invitation to enroll. Particularly in recent years, CADIS International has championed Pope Francis' Encyclical Laudato Si' in response to the cry of the Earth, our common home. That is why the opportunity of this course was ideal to continue the path of awareness of our work of building eCon-resilient communities.

At the end of the course the participants were asked to share their reflections to complete the journey and to automatically become Laudato Si’ animators with a certificate issued by the Gregorian Pontifical University. 

We have collected thoughts from our CADIS Leaders who participated in the course giving their testimonies to the importance of bringing awareness to all people of goodwill who commit to care for our common home.

The interreligious dialogue is an essential and crucial point of our being Church in Thailand. The significant contribution of the Church's teachings is relevant to Thai society [...] I learned that the Church's teaching on the Climate Crisis could complement Thai culture in the context of interreligious dialogue at different levels, such as doctrinal, educational, and life witnesses. The invitation to ecological conversion as the point of departure for each one of us is an important role to play. The ecological conversion as Metanoia or the complete change of heart from the old lifestyle of throwaway culture into a new culture is a key concept of saving our planet. 
(Paul Cherdchai LERTJITLEKHA, MI)

The African sky is still blue. The sessions brought me a lot of lessons and experiences on climate change and the conservation of biodiversity. This new ecological school has opened my spirit and my heart to the environmental crisis (drought) in Africa. So, I decided to participate in this fight against climate change (crisis. I come from Mali, a country in sub-Saharan Africa. I think that to take up the challenge of climate change in sub-Saharan is a crucial point to preserve peace and unity in the country. Unity is the spiritual key to recognizing that the sky is blue in Africa. However, the social crisis could still help us to understand that the sky remains blue despite the clouds.
(Michel Coulibaly, MI)

What do I intend to do to help the environment? I am determined to participate in the efforts to protect God’s creation (environment) by first recognizing my mistakes and failures and repenting where it is necessary. I will advocate for Laudato Sì, knowing that the climate crisis has impacted mostly the most vulnerable. I will help my fellow Christians and other persons of goodwill to understand the Holy Scriptures in their rightful context and to reject the notion that our being created in God’s image and given dominion over the earth justifies absolute domination over other creatures. I will advocate for sustainable development and promote the relationship of mutual responsibility between human beings and nature, where each one can benefit from the earth’s resources while protecting the same for the benefit of future generations. I will combat fake news and ignorance of climate issues. And lastly, I propose a people-based and participatory approach to deliver locally-based solutions to environmental challenges.
(Chrispinus Nyongessa Wasike, MI) 

Working in a humanitarian foundation, I see firsthand the human cost of environmental degradation. The program has equipped me to integrate ecological considerations into my work better. Here are some specific ways I plan to put my learnings into practice: Grassroots Advocacy: I will advocate for environmentally sustainable practices within the foundation, promoting resource conservation and responsible waste management. Bringing our team to the peripheries of life will enhance our advocacy and make effective our resilience building projects. Community Engagement: I will work to raise awareness about ecological issues within the communities we serve, encouraging them to become stewards of their environment. By experience, the most successful and meaningful projects are those that involve beneficiaries from the planning stage to the final evaluation of the project’s impact. Partnership Building: I will explore collaborations with environmental organizations to develop holistic solutions addressing social and ecological needs.
(Aris Miranda, MI)