From Aparecida to Laudato Si': Pope Francis' pronouncements on ecology before the encyclical Laudato Si'

Abstract

Our article aims to present the positions of Pope Francis in relation to the theme of Ecology in his speeches, homilies, audiences among other pronouncements before the publication of the encyclical Laudato Si'. We will go through these pronouncements from the first public manifestation of the Pope after his election until the date of the publication of the Encyclical. In the encyclical Laudato Si' there is a strong call for ecological conversion from the understanding of the encounter with Jesus made in relations with the world in its totality: human, material and immaterial. The Pope himself, in one of the pronouncements that we will present, deals with his ecological journey from Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio to becoming Pope, a path that the Supreme Pontiff invites everyone to undertake. Our goal is to demonstrate how the positions taken at Laudato Si' have been built over the years. Our conclusion is that this ecological conversion, initially presented by the Pope and mapped out by us in his pronouncements, must be, respecting the individualities, the ecological conversion of the whole Catholic Church.