THE CATHOLIC CHURCH’S RESPONSES TO THE CRY OF THE POOR AMID THE ENVIRONMENTAL CRISIS IN THE LIGHT OF LAUDATO SI’

Abstract

In the encyclical Laudato Si’ published in 2015, Pope Francis highlighted the interconnection between the environment and the poor by saying that the suffering of the earth is also the suffering of the poor. Although the environmental crisis affects human life in various aspects, the poor are the most vulnerable. They must bear the prolonged negative impacts of climate change or environmental degradation while being the least responsible for the planet's destruction. to end poverty and protect the planet. Members from all levels of the Church, such as the pope, bishops, Catholic schools, and individuals, put their efforts into creating an attitude of care for the poor and responsible stewardship for the environment in each person. The Church also collaborates with representatives of governments, non-governmental organizations, and other religions to bring the voices of the poor and the most vulnerable to the decision-makers on environmental policies. However, this progress is still coping with difficulties due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine. These two outbreaks put the poor in a more severe food insecurity and shortage crisis. Many countries still lack cooperation agreements to share water resources. In the Judge aspect, the researcher will critique the cry of the poor amid environmental crisis in the light of the Bible, the Judaeo-Christian tradition, theological discourse, and other research. Thus, we can see the issue of the poor amid the ecological crisis and our responsibility to the poor from different perspectives. In the Act aspect, suggestions and recommendations will be delineated to respond to the cry of people experiencing poverty through concrete actions which hope to prevent environmental degradation.

In this study, the researcher uses the See-Judge-Act method to address the Catholic Church’s responses to the cry of the poor amid the environmental crisis considering the encyclical Laudato Si. In the See aspect, the paper discusses how the poor and the environment are interconnected, the adverse effects of the global ecological crisis on the life of the poor, and the Catholic Church's response to the cry of the poor. People experiencing poverty face two serious issues that significantly relate to their health and life quality: the lack of food and safe water. The major causes of problems are unsustainable use and management of natural resources, dominantly in agricultural and industrial sectors. Responding to ecological crises, the Catholic Church places the environmental protection dimension within the Catholic doctrine and recognizes the environment as a common good of humanity. In the last decade, the Church has more actively participated in combating environmental degradation and promoting the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals, which serve as a universal call