UCA News
Contribute

Laudato Si’ Week garners huge global response

Millions of Catholics joined community and online events to mark the event across the globe
Pope Francis meets a youth delegation in the Vatican ahead of Laudati Si' Week

Pope Francis meets a youth delegation in the Vatican ahead of Laudati Si' Week. (Photo: Laudato Si' Movement)

Published: June 03, 2022 05:39 AM GMT
Updated: December 29, 2022 11:00 AM GMT

Millions of Catholics across the globe participated in a series of events during Laudato Si’ Week that celebrated the seventh anniversary of Pope Francis’ groundbreaking encyclical stressing the need to protect the earth.

The May 22-29 event is an initiative sponsored by the Vatican’s Dicastery for Integral Human Development and facilitated by the Laudato Si’ Movement, a global Catholic alliance of some 800 grassroots organizations, promoting the teachings of the celebrated environmental encyclical.

From Argentina and Italy to Australia, a record number of Catholics joined community and online events during the week, according to the Laudato Si’ Movement.

The alliance registered 295 events, an increase of 47 percent from the previous year. It noted that this figure is just a fraction of the numerous events held across six continents.

This year many events focused on synodality in line with ongoing consultations on “Synod 2021-2023: For a Synodal Church.”

Pope Francis kicked off the annual celebrations in Rome during his weekly Angelus address on May 22, inviting everyone to “act together in taking care of our common home.”

“The incredible response from the global Catholic Church during Laudato Si’ Week shows the beautiful diversity and breadth of this global movement to care for God's creation"

The pope has called on all Catholics to participate in the Season of Creation, the annual Christian celebration of prayer and action for our common home, from Sept. 1 to Oct. 4.

Tomás Insua, executive director of the Laudato Si’ Movement, described the huge response to Laudato Si’ week as “incredible.”

“The incredible response from the global Catholic Church during Laudato Si’ Week shows the beautiful diversity and breadth of this global movement to care for God's creation. Together, Laudato Si’ Week provided hope to millions of Catholics across the world who are in desperate need of such light,” he said.

“There is still so much more to be done as the climate emergency and ecological crisis are getting worse throughout the world. But we all should take hope in the fact that every year more and more Catholics are committing to urgent action for our common home.” 

In his remarks to close the week-long observance, Auxiliary Bishop Vicente Ferreira of Belo Horizonte in Brazil asked Catholics to come together and take further action.

“We do not realize that it depends on our actions. I don't want us to ever forget what happened … We can't allow the mining companies to do what they want in our city. We have to stand together for our city and take action. We have to end our consumerism and create less waste.”

Help UCA News to be independent
Dear reader,
Lent is the season during which catechumens make their final preparations to be welcomed into the Church.
Each year during Lent, UCA News presents the stories of people who will join the Church in proclaiming that Jesus Christ is their Lord. The stories of how women and men who will be baptized came to believe in Christ are inspirations for all of us as we prepare to celebrate the Church's chief feast.
Help us with your donations to bring such stories of faith that make a difference in the Church and society.
A small contribution of US$5 will support us continue our mission…
William J. Grimm
Publisher
UCA News
Asian Bishops
Latest News
UCA News Catholic Dioceses in Asia
UCA News Catholic Dioceses in Asia
UCA News Catholic Dioceses in Asia