The promise to stay connected: Compassion and care, Laudato Si’ Week 2020

As we celebrate the fifth anniversary of Laudato Si’, a landmark document not only for the Catholic Church, Pope Francis renews his call to the world for an ecological conversion, as “the cry of the Earth and the cry of the poor cannot continue.”

And although the present crisis calls for physical distancing, the theme of this year’s celebration of Laudato Si’ Week reminds us that “everything is connected” and we can only respond to this call if we work as one.

Around the world, activities and events to celebrate this week are taking the online sphere with Zoom webinars and Facebook Live videos, spreading the message of hope, solidarity, and our responsibility to care for one another.

With this, Ecojesuit wants to contribute as one of the international partners of Laudato Si’ Week 2020, sponsored by the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development and facilitated by the Global Catholic Climate Movement (GCCM) and Renova+.

GCCM launched the celebration on 16 May with a two-day online retreat to serve as an introductory experience to the encyclical. The goal of the retreat is to embark in an ecological conversion journey by providing moments to hear creation’s song, hear creation’s cry, and answering creation’s call.

“We are here with the intention to allow ourselves to be moved, to be changed, to be transformed knowing that this is a lifelong process,” Christina Leaño, GCCM Associate Director said during the online retreat.

Several more events are lined up throughout the week to aid this process of change, and as these are all online, we can take part in these wherever we are in the world:

Asia Pacific

Laudato Si’ Week: Walking with God in Nature

Laudato Si’ Week: Seven days to renew creation 

Laudato Si’ Week 2020: Everything is Connected – by the Council of the Laity of the Philippines

South Asia

Laudato Si’ Animation in Gujarati 

Laudato Si’ Student Competition 

 Europe

Raising our voices for the earth and the most vulnerable – a Laudato Si’ Week 2020 webinar organized by CIDSE, GCCM, Franciscans International, Iglesias y Minería

Laudato Si’ Reflection Day Webinar – How the Encyclical Laudato Si’ can steer the EU’s role in a just recovery after the COVID-19 crisis, organized by the European Laudato Si’ Alliance (ELSiA) including members: CIDSE, COMECE, Justitia Et Pax Europa, GCCM, Jesuit European Social Centre, Consilium Conferentiarum Episcoporum Europa

Africa

Laudato Si’ Week Conversations

Giving Biodiversity A Voice: Youth Panel Discussion

Latin America

Cuidar la creación: de Laudatto Si A Querida Amazonía 

Campaña de arte Todo está Conectado

De la Laudato Si’ a Querida Amazonía 5 años de la encíclica en Latinoamérica

Canada and the US

Ignatian Solidarity Network activities

In Dialogue with Leonardo Boff on key themes arising from the encyclical Laudato Si’ – organized by the Jesuit Forum for Faith and Social Justice, Centre justice et foi, Earth Charter International

GCCM also lined up a number of webinars throughout the week that can be joined here.

Sketching4Change: Drawing Laudato Si’ is also ongoing. We hope to see more of your artworks expressing your reflections on the message of Laudato Si’. By filling the online sphere with the beauty of art, we are able to comfort one another in this time of worry and remind ourselves of the hope that God communicates with us through creation every day.

With these activities, we pray that this week will fill us with newfound hope and inspiration in this lifelong journey in responding to the call of Laudato Si’ and fulfill the promise to stay connected.