Earth Day Reflection in Honor of Pope Francis
This Earth Day, we reflect not only on our planet but also on the profound legacy of a shepherd who reminded us that creation is sacred — Pope Francis.
For Pope Francis, care for the Earth was never a secondary concern. He began with a foundational belief:
God has written a precious book, whose letters are the multitude of created things present in the universe.
(Laudato Si’, 85) From this standpoint, the Earth is not just our home — it is a divine gift, entrusted to us.
His 2015 encyclical, Laudato Si’, marked a turning point in the Church’s social teaching. It became a permanent part of Catholic doctrine and stood as a bold moral call to action. Francis did not shy away from naming the crisis: climate change, loss of biodiversity, water scarcity, the breakdown of communities — all interconnected signs of a world in distress.
The Earth, our home, is beginning to look more and more like an immense pile of filth,
He warned. Yet even in this sobering reality, Francis never lost hope.
He reminded us that “Everything is interconnected,” and that human dignity cannot be separated from the health of the Earth. He called for an “integral ecology” — one that recognizes the spiritual, social, and environmental dimensions of our lives.
Today, as we mark Earth Day and remember Pope Francis, we carry forward his vision. A vision that saw in death not an ending, but a call to renewal — to begin again, to care more deeply, to live more justly.
As he once said:
There is a nobility in the duty to care for creation through little daily actions… We must not think that these efforts are too small to improve our world.
In his spirit, may we recommit ourselves to caring for our common home — with courage, compassion, and conviction.
Laudato Voices
