Devin Brown

SLA 400 Setonian Seminar

November 10, 2023

Response to Laudato Si’

In the preface of Laudato Si’ Pope Francis walks us through past events which have caused

reaction from various peers of faith. There have been events such as nuclear crisis where Pope

Saint John XXIII expressed a rejection for war and a proposal for peace. There is another event

where Saint John Paul II wrote an encyclical where he called for global ecological conversion.

The cause for this piece was the continued destruction of our environment. Saint Francis also

expresses that the individual who inspired him to write this encyclical is Saint Francis of Assisi.

Pope Francis states that Saint Francis “was particularly concerned for God’s creation and for the

poor and outcast.” Saint Francis was a man who helped open others eyes to see that we must care

for all that exists and make as much of a change as possible while we are here. Pope Francis

concludes his preface that we must look at all of the issues with the encyclical and create a new

lifestyle to change our ways and create a better place for all beings to thrive. He also states that

these issues must continue to be addressed and dealt with again and again until they are resolved.

Pope Francis, I have read you section IV. DECLINE IN THE QUALITY OF HUMAN LIFE AND

THE BREAKDOWN OF SOCIETY in your encyclical and it has truly moved me and opened up

my mind to the changes that are taking place and that we need to fix the issues for the future. I

agree with your statement that “Human beings too are creatures of this world, enjoying a right to
life and happiness, and endowed with unique dignity. So, we cannot fail to consider the effects

on people’s lives of environmental deterioration, current models of development and the

throwaway culture.” This statement rings so true to me in the current state of our world where

there are mass-produced products everywhere. People are so focused on getting the next new

thing or what is “current.” Our ideals have been so muddied over time that the youth of our

nation do not understand where true value lies. You also state “Many cities are huge, inefficient

structures, excessively wasteful of energy and water.” I feel that this is absolutely true where we

see these huge cities with large buildings and yet there are still people living on the street

because they cannot afford even the most inexpensive living spaces. These cities are built by

wealthy individuals and companies who have no care for the people or the community. You also

stated that these cities lack a sufficient environment to support our basic need for green and

industrialization free spaces. Cutting off humanity’s access to these green and beautiful spaces

lowers our ambition to live in an ethical and positive way. You also stated that some of the

things which have actually led to social decline and things like increased drug use are the very

things which were initially created to make our way of life better. The introduction of constant

media access and digital objects has caused our ability to think deeply and live wisely to

diminish. I agree with your proposal to try to use these media outlets as a way to promote new

cultural progress for humanity. I also agree that although the media can be a great tool it does

not provide the same benefit as in person interaction where you can feel a person’s emotions

more and make a better and deeper level of connection. I feel that this section of your

encyclical captured the full scope of these humanity issues which are currently plaguing our

communities. I also agree that it is up to everyone to do their part in trying to make it better

and use all of the channels available to us to do so.

In the video where Greta Thunberg is addressing climate change, she expresses that current

businesspeople are more concerned about economic growth rather than collapsing ecosystems

and creating change which will ensure the success of our future and planet rather than monetary

gains. I believe that this is very true and can be easily seen when there are individuals who are

more concerned about profits rather than the quality of life of their employees. The economy has

shifted greatly in the years since the pandemic where there has been a great increase in the

general cost of living, but businesses are still paying unlivable wages. I have seen many videos

where people are stating that they are making more than they ever have before, but they are still

struggling. I can directly relate to this. I am making twice the amount that I was making just 5

years ago, and I am still in just about the same position I was then due to the increase in the cost

of living. The government could intervene and raise the minimum wage, but they chose to do

nothing. Greta Thunberg calls out the damage that these businesses are doing to the environment

and that they should be greatly ashamed that they are leaving the issue of the aftermath of their

reckless industrial ways to be dealt with by the next generation. These businesses should be

ashamed, and their respective governments should be ashamed as well. It is going to take vast

action by millions of individuals to undo the damage that has been done and to implement

change. There are many who have begun to implement this change, but is it enough? We can

only hope that in the coming years the changes we are making will be enough. In the

documentary Our Planet: Our Business the narrator expresses that there are industries whose

practices are endangering the habitats, environments, and species on the planet we live. The film

does an amazing job showing us how beautiful our world is and that it is greatly important to do

everything we can to save and help these animals thrive. One of the actions that is threatening

species is overfishing. Luckily in the years since this video there have been laws and restrictions
that dictate fishing in many areas. These laws have helped to ensure the continuation of certain

species of fish and wildlife. It is going to take the continued work and determination of as many

people as possible to help our planet to remain a healthy and a thriving place to live for all living

organisms.
References:

Francis, S. (2015, June 18). Laudato Si’ (24 May 2015): Francis. Laudato Si’ (24 May 2015) |

Francis. https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/encyclicals/documents/papa-

francesco_20150524_enciclica-laudato-si.html

NewsHour, P. (2019, September 23). Watch: Greta Thunberg’s full speech to world leaders at UN

Climate Action Summit. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAJsdgTPJpU

Our planet: Our business. YouTube. (2019, June 27). https://youtu.be/JdWQJq2OkJs