In Laudato Si Pope Francis does not limit himself to people of good will, he intends “to address every person living on this planet”. 

In his first paragraph, Pope Francis describes the earth as a “beautiful mother who opens her arms to embrace us’. Further on he states “There is a mystical meaning to be found in a leaf, in a mountain trail, in a dewdrop, in a poor person’s face”.

Our relationship with God, our neighbour and the environment is a single integrated and interconnected reality.  For Pope Francis, care of the poor and care of the environment are thus two sides of the same coin in an integral ecology.  In other words Pope Francis is asking us about making radical decisions to reverse the trend of global warming and the goal of eliminating poverty.

When Pope Francis speaks of the “environment” he says that what we really mean is a relationship existing between nature and the society which lives in it. Nature cannot be regarded as something separate from ourselves or as a mere setting in which we live. We are part of nature, included in it and thus in constant interaction with it…. We are faced not with two separate crises, one environmental and the other social, but rather with one complex crisis which is both social and environmental. Strategies for a solution demand an integrated approach to combating poverty, restoring dignity to the excluded, and at the same time protecting nature.

Adelaide Hills Parish together with St Catherine’s Catholic School accepted the challenge of Pope Francis to care for our common home.  We have not only embarked to continue to protect the environment but also together to try and at least restore some dignity to those who are less fortunate than us.