A trinity of questions about Laudato Si

07 Aug 2015 - by

Pope Francis is not the first pope to address a social encyclical to everyone, with the publication of Laudato Si', perhaps more commonly known as his climate change encyclical. Pope John Paul II addressed his 1988 encyclical Sollicitudo Rei Socialis to members of the Church and to 'all people of good will'. Pope Benedict XVI did the same with his 2009 encyclical Caritas in Veritate.

In comparison with his predecessors however, Francis has been more inclusive in the process of writing the encyclical and in the final content of the document. He quotes from 17 different conferences of Catholic bishops and is at pains to indicate that he is collaborative and that he takes the principle of subsidiarity very seriously. He convened meetings of various types of experts including scientists, economists and political scientists. He is not afraid to indicate that the final product is something of a committee job, with various authors.

In his talk A trinity of questions about Laudato Si', delivered to students at Burgmann College ANU, Fr Frank Brennan addresses Pope Francis's encyclical on 'care for our common home'. You can read it by clicking here.