Skip to content
ContemporaryBeginnerEncyclical

Laudato Si'

Pope Francis

Catholic ecological social thought

It is the landmark statement of Catholic ecological social thought and a major contribution to environmental ethics.

Synopsis

A papal encyclical framing ecological crisis as a moral and spiritual problem, linking care for creation with care for the poor under an integral ecology.

Core passage idea

Paraphrase · Modern copyrighted work

The cry of the earth and the cry of the poor are one, and a throwaway culture wounds both together.

It binds environmental degradation to social injustice, making ecology a matter of justice and faith.

To avoid a bubble

Pair with Bruno Latour, Down to Earth.

Reading note

Read it as moral teaching addressed to all people, not only Catholics; note its blend of science and spirituality.

Best paired with

Bruno Latour, Down to Earth

Find this book