‘Laudate Deum’ reminds us to care for God’s creation

Published: December 9, 2023

By Father Jason Tyler
Diocesan Bioethicist

Pope Francis recently issued a document on the environment, the second one of his pontificate. "Laudate Deum" ("Praise God") is an apostolic exhortation.

An apostolic exhortation is a document that encourages or exhorts (hence the name) people to do something. In this case, the “something” is to care for the environment, our common home.

"Laudate Deum" was published Oct. 4, the memorial of St. Francis of Assisi, and is a follow-up to “Laudato Si’” (“Praise Be to You”) from 2015. Both focus on caring for the Earth as an act of love toward our brothers and sisters who need clean air, water and a hospitable place in which to live.

A key element in both is the idea that we are stewards, not owners, of the Earth. God is the owner, and he has entrusted it to us to be cared for and protected. We undertake this responsibility out of love for him in order to care for our brothers and sisters.

The pope points out that the poor often suffer the most if conditions are not good for people to breathe, drink water, grow crops or have the various animals needed to maintain the ecosystem.

One might ask, though, why the pope is writing on this topic, or whether it’s necessary for the pope to address it since many other people write about it. It’s true that many global leaders discuss environmental issues, and it’s true that celebrities often address the cause as well.

It must be understood, though, that these people are not always addressing the issue from a Christian perspective. Pope Francis seeks to remind us that the issue is one of Christian charity since environmental damage can hurt our brothers and sisters.

A second reason one might question the pope writing on this topic is an idea that this concern is something other popes have not addressed. This assumption would be inaccurate. Pope Benedict XVI addressed this issue multiple times, including in his 2007 World Day of Peace and in his encyclical "Caritas in Veritate" ("Charity in Truth").

In that encyclical he described the environment as neither above humanity nor something to exploit but rather as “God’s gift to everyone, and in our use of it we have a responsibility towards the poor, towards future generations and towards humanity as a whole.” It was during Benedict’s pontificate that solar panels were installed in the Vatican and a forest planted in Hungary in an attempt to make Vatican City the world’s first carbon-neutral state.

A third possible objection might be that people who speak about environmental issues are people who disagree with the teaching of the Church on other matters, such as the sanctity of human life in the womb or the proper role of human sexuality. While that might be our experience as Americans, it’s largely not true globally.

Even if it is the case, it’s all the more reason to speak about environmental matters from a Christian perspective. God and God’s creation are not opposed, and it’s important that the wider world understand as much.

Only time will tell if Pope Francis’ efforts prove effective, but it’s important for us to read what he has written and consider how our care for the world around us is part of our respect for what God has entrusted to us and our love for our brothers and sisters he has created.

Father Jason Tyler is pastor of St. Joseph Church in Fayetteville, director of clergy continuing education and the diocesan bioethicist. This article was originally published in Arkansas Catholic Dec. 9, 2023. Copyright Diocese of Little Rock. All rights reserved. This article may be copied or redistributed with acknowledgement and permission of the publisher.