Laudato si’ is the title of Pope Francis’ 2015 document on “the care of our common home,” the care of creation. Pope Francis wrote Laudato si’ to address the current problems of abuse of our planet Earth, and to call forth positive efforts of collaboration to find solutions to care, respect and reverence the natural world. Pope Francis sees the issues of ecology as global issues and puts forth ideas for the entire world to join together in caring for our earth, our common home.
The Italian title, Laudato si’ means “Praise be to You” and are the first words of the document. Pope Francis chose this phrase from St. Francis of Assisi’s “Canticle of Creatures” in which St. Francis gives praise to the Lord Most High for all creatures which he calls brothers and sisters since they have the same heavenly Father as he does: Brother Sun, Sister Moon, Sister Water, Brother Wind, our Sister Mother Earth, flowers, herbs and all creatures.
Pope Francis’ bold writing has generated grass-roots initiatives all over the world and has stimulated projects on both local and universal scales to improve people’s attitudes toward greater respect for creation and for one another.
Laudato si’ can be found on the Vatican’s web site.
St. Francis of Assisi’s “Canticle of Creatures” as quoted in Laudato si’:
Praised be you, my Lord, with all your creatures,
especially Sir Brother Sun,
who is the day and through whom you give us light.
And he is beautiful and radiant with great splendour;
and bears a likeness of you, Most High.
Praised be you, my Lord, through Sister Moon and the stars,
in heaven you formed them clear and precious and beautiful.
Praised be you, my Lord, through Brother Wind,
and through the air, cloudy and serene, and every kind of weather
through whom you give sustenance to your creatures.
Praised be you, my Lord, through Sister Water,
who is very useful and humble and precious and chaste.
Praised be you, my Lord, through Brother Fire,
through whom you light the night,
and he is beautiful and playful and robust and strong.
