The 10-day Laudato Si’ Week 2021 from 16 to 25 May is celebrated with the theme “for we know that things can change” (LS 13), with dialogues and events contributing to seed such hope throughout the globe.
In a brief video, Pope Francis invites all to take part in the joyful celebration and calls on all Catholics to undergo an ecological conversion, coinciding with the sixth anniversary (24 May) when he finished writing the encyclical.
The celebration also marks the end of the Special Laudato Si’ Anniversary Year and Fr. Joshtrom Kureethadam, Coordinator of Ecology and Creation at the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, shared that “Laudato Si’ Week opened the Special Laudato Si’ Year and will now close it. Let us celebrate the beautiful gift of Laudato Si’ during this week and put it into action.”
Catholic leaders, speakers, and authors from across the globe join live dialogues and conversations that highlight the progress made in bringing Laudato Si’ to life and inspire the faithful everywhere to plan further action ahead of the UN Biodiversity Conference (COP15), the 26th UN Climate Change Conference (COP26), and the decade ahead.
Laudato Si’ Dialogue: Critical opportunities in 2021 to create change, call for an integral path
17 May, Monday, 13:00 New York/19:00 Rome
Speakers: Fr. Augusto Zampini, Vatican Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development; José Gregorio Díaz Mirabal, COICA; Ditebogo Lebea, South African Institute of International Affairs
Moderator: Christine Allen, CAFOD Director
Laudato Si’ Dialogue on Education
18 May, Tuesday, 8:00 New York/14:00 Rome
Speakers: Jacqui Rémond, LISTEN; Séverine Deneulin, Laudato Si’ Research Institute; Margaret Pfeil, University of Notre Dame; Adrián Beling, University Network for the Care of the Common Home; Alberto López Rosado, Universidad Francisco de Vitoria Madrid; Diego Solano, RENOVA+
Moderator: Amy Echeverria, Columban Missionaries
Laudato Si’ Dialogue on Energy and Fossil Fuels: Global Catholic Divestment
Drumbeat
19 May, Wednesday, 9:00 New York/15:00 Rome
Speakers: Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, COMECE;Bill McKibben, 350.org;Reabetswe Tloubatla, Denis Hurley Peace Institute/SACBC;Jeni Miller, Global Health and Climate Alliance;Bishop Brendan Leahy, Limerick, Ireland;Clare Fussell, Diocesan Environmental Officer (Diocese of Bristol, England)
Moderator: Lindlyn Moma, GCCM
Sowing Hope for the Planet / Creation Care Prayer Network
20 May, Thursday, 9:00 New York/ 15:00 Rome
Speakers: Sr. Jyotisha Kannamkal, SND (India); Sr Leetta Hammock, SSND (Paraguay); Sr. Beatrice Hernandez, OSF (USA); Fr. Edwin Borlasa, MSC (Philippines); Christina Leaño, GCCM (USA)
Moderators: Sheila Kinsey, FCJM, and Alberto Parise, MCCJ
Global Action Day for Our Common Home
21 May, Friday
A global call for individuals, communities, and institutions worldwide, who are invited to organize a concrete action to care for our common home.
Laudato Si’ Festival “Songs for creation”
22 May, Saturday, 19:00 CET/13:00 EST
The cultural festivalSongs for Creationwill present biodiversity lost in the world and its consequences, focusing on the biodiversity problems in the artists’ and musicians’ regions. Given the complexity of the ecological crisis and its multiple causes, solutions will not emerge from just one way of interpreting and transforming reality. Respect must also be shown for the various cultural riches of different peoples, their art and poetry, and their interior life and spirituality (LS 63).
Speakers: Monsignor Bruno Marie Duffé, Secretary at the Vatican Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development; Fr. Augusto Zampini, Adjunct Secretary at the Vatican Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development; Tomás Insua, GCCM Executive Director; Fr. Joshtrom Isaac Kureethadam, Coordinator of the Sector of “Ecology and Creation” at the Vatican Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development (TBC); Steven Kezamutima (Africa); Luca Terrana (Italy); AAIRA (Spain); Migueli Marin (Spain-Italy); Gen Verde (International); Sandesh Manuel (India/Austria); Filocalia (Argentina); Avant-première of the short film Last of my Kind and live dialogue with Nicolas Brown, film’s producer; Mauricio López from CELAM and CEAMA (ex REPAM); Father Victor Moreno(Colombia) from Laudato Si’ Story Contest
Moderator: Lucia Capuzzi, Avvenire
(Pentecost) Laudato Si’ Special Anniversary Year Closing Praying Gathering / Missionary Sending
23 May, Sunday, 15:00 CET/ 9:00 EST
A closing Praying Gathering from Assisi and Rome is celebrated to express our gratitude to God our Creator and ask for assistance in the work to come. On this feast of Pentecost, in which we also celebrate the beginning of the Church, we want to make a missionary-like sending of local Laudato Si’ Animators and other pastoral agents, so that they may go and announce “the Gospel of Creation” (LS chapter 2) in every corner of the globe.
Moderator: Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples
Monsignor Domenico Sorrentino, Bishop of Assisi-Nocera Umbra-Gualdo Tadino
Roundtable about WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) in Catholic health care facilities
24 May, Monday, 11:30 CET/17:30 EST
Following the publication of the document Aqua fons vitae and the press release of 21 March, the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development organizing this roundtable to provide an update on its WASH project (Access to drinking Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) in a selected number of health care facilities belonging to the Catholic Church.
Cardinal Peter K.A. Turkson, Prefect of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, will take part in a discussion about the progress the global Church has made in providing access to safe drinking water for our most vulnerable sisters and brothers around the world.
Participants: Cardinal Turkson; Bishop Damiano Guzzetti of Moroto in Uganda (one of the Dioceses involved in the WASH project); Sister Adela Orea, a Daughter of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul (one of the Congregations involved in the WASH project), Administrator of the San Carlos Hospita lin Altamirano Chiapas, Mexico; Dr. Giulia Amerio, pediatrician, Associazione Comunità Papa Giovanni XXIII, Facilitator of the Health Thematic Group of the Forum of Catholic inspired NGOs;
Sr. Liberty “Beth” Elarmo, member of the General Council of the Sisters Ministers of the Infirm of St. Camillo de Lellis (one of the Congregations involved in the WASH project); Lindsay Deny, Health Adviser at GlobalWater 2020; David Douglas, Founder of the non-profit Waterlines and Principal of GlobalWater 2020.
All of the global events are simultaneously translated to English, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Polish and French.
Locally, Catholics are encouraged to lead similar opportunities, including sustainability events and prayer gatherings, and help inspire their community by registering their event at Laudato Si’ Week 2021 where they can download free resources and tips on how to successfully organize an event.
The Vatican launched the Laudato Si’ Special Anniversary Year in May 2020, at the end of the 2020 Laudato Si’ Week, which commemorated the fifth anniversary of the encyclical.
Laudato Si’ Week 2021 is sponsored by the Vatican Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development and facilitated by the Global Catholic Climate Movement in collaboration with RENOVA+, Caritas Internationalis, CIDSE, International Union Superiors General, Union of Superiors General, Society of Jesus, the General Office for Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation from the Order from the Franciscan Friars, and in partnership with dozens of Catholic partners.
