"If we want to be credible as a Catholic Church, this means not only making calls, but also implementing our own demands," added the chairman of the working group for ecological issues  Bishop Rolf Lohmann (Münster).

The report first explains the church's commitment in the fields of action liturgy and preaching, education, building management, mobility and sustainable business. Then the activities in the individual (arch)dioceses and in Catholic organizations such as the German Caritas Association, the German Conference of the Superiors of Religious Orders, the Central Committee of German Catholics and the aid organizations of the world church are presented.

The Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development's start a 40-day campaign of prayers based on the Laudato Si' Goals, for communities joining the Laudato Si' Action Platform. The prayer campaign supports the seven sectors joining the Laudato Si' Action Platform with a dedicated day of prayer for each, connecting each sector with a Laudato Si' Goal. 14 November will occasion the next phase in the Laudato Si' Action Platform. On that date, Laudato Si' Planning Guides and all related materials will be published, and members of the universal Church will be invited to make a firm commitment to creating their own Laudato Si' Plans. 

Pope Francis invites you to the Laudato Si' Action Platform

FAITH AND SCIENCE APPEAL FOR COP 26 (4.10.21)

Faith leaders representing the world’s major religions joined scientists at the Vatican today to call on the international community to raise their ambition and step up their climate action ahead of COP26. Almost 40 faith leaders signed a joint Appeal, which was presented by Pope Francis to COP26 President-Designate, the Rt Hon Alok Sharma, and the Italian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Hon. Luigi Di Maio.

Signatories include high-profile representatives from across the Christian denominations, both Sunni and Shi’a Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Zoroastrianism and Jainism – representing a broad range of faith leaders.

The Appeal:

• Calls for the world to achieve net-zero carbon emissions as soon as possible, to limit the global average temperature rise to 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels;
• Presses wealthier nations and those with the greatest responsibility to take the lead, stepping up their climate action at home and financially supporting vulnerable countries to adapt to and address climate change.
• Urges governments to raise their ambition and their international cooperation to transition to clean energy and to sustainable land use practices, environmentally friendly food systems and responsible financing.
• Commits the faith leaders themselves to greater climate action. Notably, doing more to educate and influence members of their traditions and actively participating in the public debate on environmental issues. The faith leaders will also support action to green their community assets, such as properties and investments.

With the window narrowing to restore the planet, the faith leaders and scientists implored the international community to take speedy action, saying: ‘Future generations will never forgive us if we miss the opportunity to protect our common home. We have inherited a garden: we must not leave a desert to our children.’

The Appeal follows months of dialogue, in which the faith leaders and scientists built a dialogue in a spirit of humility, responsibility and mutual respect to agree a common moral duty to tackle climate change.

The diversity of participants makes this a highly significant moment with the potential to have a powerful impact not only at COP26 but also on the estimated 84% of the world’s population who identify with a faith.

COP26 President-Designate, Alok Sharma, said: ‘I amhonouredto receive this historic joint appeal as we press for progress towardslimiting global temperature rises to 1.5Cat COP26 in just a few weeks’ time. We must all hear the voices of those most affected by climate change and I hope people of faith will continue to be a key part of this dialogue as we work together to drive forward climate action.’

Archbishop Paul Gallagher said the Vatican hoped the direct appeal to COP26 leaders would have the same effect as the pope's landmark 2015 environmental encyclical "Laudato Si".

The São Paulo Declaration on Planetary Health is a global call to action from the planetary health community charting a path forward to support a more equitable and resilient post-pandemic world. The Declaration's cross-cutting recom­mendations were drafted during the 2021 Planetary Health Annual Meeting and Festival in São Paulo, Brazil, concluding with a global consultation of nearly 350 participants from more than 70 countries supported by the United Nations Development Programme.

We know what needs to change to safeguard the health of the planet and people for future generations. The São Paulo Declaration urges us to act now.

On 7-8 October in the Vatican ahead of the Rome G20 meeting, European decision makers will meet with leading experts in public health, economics and climate science to propose integral solutions to the COVID-19 pandemic and climate crisis. The COVID-19 pandemic uncovered a crisis or rather a set of interconnected crises: public health crisis, human rights and migration crisis, political legitimacy crisis, inequality crisis, environmental crisis.

The official conclusions and recommendations of the event signed by the organisers will be passed to the participants of the Rome G20 meeting, hosted by the Italian Prime Minister and member of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, Mario Draghi. 

The full program of the conference  is available at the websites: www.europeapatient.com and and www.pass.va. 

The 2021 Season of Creation takes place from 1 September through 4 October, marking a traditional ecumenical moment for healing and hope.

Pope Francis Message :  Towards a Sustainable Lifestyle (1.09.2021)

The Season of Creation Song....

From ‘Global Catholic Climate Movement’
to ‘Laudato Si' Movement’

The Global Catholic Climate Movement is now called the Laudato Si’ Movement. A change that has the support of Pope Francis.As part of a two-year synodal process, the mission, values, and structures have also been changed and improved. The Laudato Si’ Movement celebrates and embraces all initiatives born from the encyclical and all organizations working for ecological and climate justice.

What world do we want to leave to our children and our young?

On 25 May, the new Laudato Si Platform for Action was presented in Rome. The Laudato Si’ Action Platform is a unique collaboration between the Vatican, an international coalition of Catholic organizations, and “all men and women of good will".

The Timeline will be:

• May 2021: Announcement of Laudato Si’ Action Platform
• May 2021:  Start Pledges
• 4 October 2021: Laudato Si’ Plans Open
• 2022: Additional programs and tools

The new website is in 9 languages and contains all important information.