Structure and Members

Ralf Klemens STAPPEN is acting Director of the Francis of Assisi Academy for Planetary Health. He was Co-Founder and the first Executive Secretary of the Francis of Assisi Academy for the Protection of the Earth at the Catholic University of Eichstätt (Munich Metropolitan Region). R.K. Stappen has more than 20 years of experience in church environment management and research expertise in Sustainability Science, Planetary Health and Ecclesiastical Geography. He has diverse academic, non-profit, and corporate leadership experience.  He leads the Laudatosi.org Project since 2015.

Ralf-Klemens started his commitment for the stewardship of creation as member of the Environment Working Group at the Catholic University Parish (KHG/ Cathedral Parish) and environmental officer (voulntary) at the Catholic University of Eichstätt as student in the early 90s. He was over 10 years chairman / co-chairman of the Environmental Commission of the Eichstätt Diocese and is still member of the Commission. He was project leader at the Catholic University of Eichstätt of the first european "catholic" sustainability project (Altmühltal Agenda 21 project with 10 part projects and partners - Link to KU) - which was a national contribution to the European  Nature Conservation Year (Council of Europe) under the patronage of the German Federal President. After this he was project director (research assistant) for the large scale research EU-project TELE 21 - Regional Innovation, Digitalisation and Sustainability at the Faculty of Economy and leader of the International Local Agenda 21 Working Group for the City of Rome. He was among others responsible (on behalf of CCEE) for the sustainability section of the 2. European Ecumenical Assembly in Graz and for the Global Marshall Plan-Initiative under the scientific direction of Prof. F.J. Radermacher, Club of Rome.

Advisor: Prof. Dr. Wolfgang SEILER, former Director - Institute of Meteorology and Climate Research Atmospheric Environmental Research (IMK-IFU), KIT-Campus Alpin

E-Mail: info (@) faape.org

Academic Council  (Art. 7 Constitution)

Academician (founding members) including Emeriti

Men and women may become full members of the academy, who have in an exemplary and excellent manner in academic or practical respect contributed to the protection of the earth and to humanity, and who are willing to actively participate in the work of the academy as much as their other duties permit. The academy elects new full and corresponding members with a two-thirds majority in the forms further determined by the constitution of the academy. (Constitution)

Prof. Dr. Emmanuel AGIUS, Dean Department for Theology at the University of Malta, Director of the UNESCO Programme "future generations", Malta 

Prof.Patrick BLANDIN,  Director of the National Museum for Natural History, ret.(Paris), France

Drs. Tini BRÜGGE, Coordinator Projects ‘Samen aan tafel’ van de landelijke projectgroep Kerk en Milieu van de Raad van Kerken, NL. Coordinator of the Environmental Project of the Franziscanischen Cooperation in the Netherlands, The Netherlands

Prof. Dr. Jean DORST, Member of the Academie Francaise (Academie des science),  Director of the Museum of National History, France

Prof. Dr. Jean-Marie PELT, President of the European Institute for Ecology (Metz) , France 

Dr.Leonid PROTSENKO, Director of the Interecocentre  Urkaine, Ukraine 

Fritz PRILLEWITZ, Environmental Advisor at the Embassy of the Dutch Kingdom in Lisbon, Executive Director of the European Centre for Nature Conservation, ret (Tilburg), The Netherlands

Dr. Jean-Pierre RIBAUT, President of the Commission for Peace, Justice and the Integrity of the Creation of Pax Christi France, Director of the Environmental Department of the Council of Europel, ret. France

Prof. Dr. Wolfgang SEILER, Former Director of the Institute of Meteorology and Atmospheric Environmental Research (IMK-IFU) of theKarlsruhe Institute of Technology and researcher Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, Mainz

Prof. Dr.Dr.hc. Klaus TÖPFER, Founding director of the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS), Potsdam; former Executive Director of the United Nations Environmenal Programme (UNEP), Federal Minister, ret., Germany

Prof. Hector VALL SJ, Pontifical Gregorian University, Rector of the Oriental Institute, Rom

Prof.Dr.mult. Ernst Ulrich von WEIZSÄCKER, Vice-President of the Club of Rome, former Dean Bren School of Environmental Science and Management ret., UCSB, Santa Barbara, Member of the Presidium of the Protestant Assembly,  Germany; former President of the Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy (until 2000)

Prof. Dr. Jànos ZLINSZKY, Director of the Sustainable Development Academy The Regional Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe, Senior Adviser for Environmental Policy to the President of Hungary from 2006 to 2010. Associate Professor in the Department for Environmental Law and Competition Law at Pázmány Péter Catholic University

Corresponding Members

Walt GRAZER M.A., M.Sc. ; Special Advisor National Religious Partnership for the Environment (USA), Former Director of the Environmental Programme of the Bishops' Conference of the United States of America, Washington, USA

Msgr.Hilary SENOO, Member of the Commission for the Holy Year 2000 of the Holy Sea, Secretary General of the Council of the African Bishop's Conference  (SECAM), ret., Ghana

Prof.Dr.Dr.Jong HWANG, Professor for Philosophy, in particular for Environmental Ethics at eh Han Nam University, Korea

In Memoriam

Prof.Dr.Dr.Günther ALTNER , Professor for Theology and founding members of the Eco-Institute (Öko-Institut) Freiburg, Germany (Heidelberg)

S.E. Bischof Bjørn BUE (deceased 1997) , Bishop of Stavanger (Church of Norway), Norway and WCC Executive Committee

Prof.Dr. Jacques BLONDEL, Research Director at the Centre for Phytosociology and Ecology (Montpellier) and Professor at the Catholic University Leuwen (la Neuve), Belgium

Prof. Dr. Francesco di CASTRI, National Research Center for Ecology and Evolution, Former President of the International Union of Biologist, France

Prof.Dr. Rene COSTE, President Pax Christi France, ret., and honorary Professor for Theology at the Catholic Institute Toulouse, France

Msgr. Giancarlo MINOZZI, President of the Lanza Foundation, Italy 

Prälat Norbert HERKENRATH (deceased 1997), Executive Director of the Catholic Bishop's Development Aid Programme MISEREOR, Germany

Prof.Dr. PAVAN , President of the Centre for Environmental Research at the University of Pavia, Minister for Environment, ret., Italy

Prof. Dr. Bernhard J. PRZEWOZNY, O.F.M. Conv. , President of the Franciscan Research Centre for Environmental Protection in Rome, Initiator and President of the International Saint Francis Prize for the Environment, Italy 

Prof.Dr.Dr.hc.mult. Lukas VISCHER (deceased 2009) , Professor for Ecumenical Theology, Lausanne, Member of the steering committee of the European Christian Environmental Network, Geneva, Director at the World Council of Churches (ÖRK), ret. , Geneva, Switzerland 

Former Board of Directors

Former President: Dr. Jean-Pierre RIBAUT, Deacon

Director (Executive Secretary) : Ralf Klemens STAPPEN, M.A., Ph.D. Candidate; Members: Dr. Ralf BRAND, Silke FRANKE