Presentation about Pope Francis' encyclical Laudato si' from the point of view of studies about Eco-anxiety.

1. Dr. Panu Pihkala, September 2017

3.  “If we approach nature and the environment
without this openness to awe and wonder, if
we no longer speak the language of
fraternity and beauty in our relationship
with the world, our attitude will be that of
masters, consumers, ruthless exploiters,
unable to set limits on their immediate
needs. By contrast, if we feel intimately
united with all that exists, then sobriety and
care will well up spontaneously.”

4.  in Roman Catholic (eco)theology
 in Ecumenical (eco)theology
 A reference point and “a summary”
 Cf.Yale Forum on Religion and Ecology: an own
web site for media discussion on LS
 in environmentalism (to a certain degree):
it provides a reference point which is large
enough and universal enough
 cf. politicians citing it in Paris (COP) 2015

5.  Unusual ecumenical tribute to Eastern
Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew (The
“Green Patriarch”) in LS 7-9
 Protestants are not mentioned (naturally?),
but there is congruence between numerous
arguments in LS and Protestant ecotheology
 “Did Pope Francis Study at Regent?”, Eugene
Peterson (<http://world.regent-
college.edu/leading-ideas/did-pope-francis-study-
at-regent> September 30, 2015

6.  1) An emphasis on the importance of trying to
cause structural change
 2)The significance of all actions, even the
small ones
 3) Acknowledgment of both sorrow and joy

7.  Integration of social and environmental
issues
 ”Cry of the Earth, Cry of the Poor”
 A further challenge: preservation?
 Eco-anxiety is made worse, if ”we” are
blamed for everything
 Everybody has responsibility, but an
understanding of scale is needed
 We need structural change

8. “Social problems must be addressed by
community networks and not simply by the
sum of individual good deeds. - -
The ecological conversion needed to bring
about lasting change is also a community
conversion.” (LS 219)

9.  Common people face the problem: they focus
on small-scale actions, for several reasons
 We need embodied things to do
 The options that are easily available
 The options that many actors in society
recommend, because these actions do not disturb
the status quo
 What’s the significance of these kind of
actions?

10.  Based on virtue ethics, LS offers a moving
basis for the importance of all actions

11. ”Education in environmental responsibility can
encourage ways of acting which directly and
significantly affect the world around us, such as
avoiding the use of plastic and paper, reducing
water consumption, separating refuse…
All of these reflect a generous and worthy
creativity which brings out the best in human
beings.”

12. ”We must not think that these efforts are not
going to change the world.They benefit
society, often unbeknown to us, for they call
forth a goodness which, albeit unseen,
inevitably tends to spread. Furthermore, such
actions can restore our sense of self-esteem;
they can enable us to live more fully and to feel
that life on earth is worthwhile.” (LS 212)

13.  I have elsewhere emphasized that in the
Anthropocene, we need a narrative which
integrates hope and tragedy
 Cf. Pihkala, ”Hope in the Midst ofTragedy”, Global
Discourse 7:1 (2017)
 LS includes this kind of dimension

14. ”Let us sing as we go. May our struggles and
our concern for this planet never take away the
joy of our hope.” (LS 244)

15.  panupp@yahoo.com
 University of Helsinki, Faculty ofTheology,
Ecumenics