A SUSTENABLE FUTURE. VADEMECUM

 New practical guide integrates science with messages from Pope Francis to promote action for a sustainable future.

 A booklet and website co-created by the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) and the Vatican's Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development provide succinct, easy-to-grasp explanations of urgent environmental issues, combined with messages from Pope Francis’s 2015 Encyclical on the care for our Common Home, Laudato si’, showing how individuals and communities can make a difference by offering multiple ways to take action.

The guide is the product of a collaboration initiated in 2020 by the Swedish Ambassador to the Holy See. SEI and the Dicastery worked closely together, with SEI contributing its scientific and communications expertise, while the Dicastery grounded the messages in the Catholic faith, meant for individuals, faith-based groups and communities.

The booklet covers key topics to spotlight – climate change, biodiversity, water, food production, air pollution, sustainable consumption, and links between sustainability and social justice. “We are at a critical historical moment where actions today will determine the fate of generations to come,” said Cardinal Michael Czerny, Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development. “The challenge ahead is monumental; we need nothing short of a ‘bold cultural revolution’ (Laudato si’ 114) to respond to it adequately. For this reason, the guidebook we offer today to local churches and community groups represents an important and hopeful collaboration between two great sectors: that of science, and that of faith. While starting from complementary worldviews, what we hold in common is what matters – science and faith share core values and purpose capable of healing the world.”

This is SEI’s first-ever collaboration with the Vatican, but Executive Director Måns Nilsson said the project fits well with SEI’s mission to bridge science and policy to advance sustainability. “In all we do at SEI, we have a dual mission to produce robust, trustworthy science, and communicate the results so they are clear, compelling and actionable,” he said. “Robust evidence is as crucial as ever, but what drives people’s actions is their values, and their sense of their place in the world. By combining our organizations’ respective strengths, we have produced a booklet that I believe will be very compelling and useful to readers.

At a time when many people feel hopeless, like they can’t possibly make a difference, this guide shows they can – both individually, and by advocating collectively for systemic change.” The guide, released today at a virtual event, is available in English, French, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish, as a 20-page printed booklet, and online at sei.org/ourcommonhome/ and at humandevelopment.va. In both formats, it combines beautiful photography and graphics with succinct summaries of the science on each topic, a clear outline of what needs to change, and ways to take action. Quotations from Laudato si’ introduce each section, and the Pope’s “prayer for our earth” from the Encyclical accompanies the conclusion. The Dicastery is ready to distribute more than 500 000 print copies of the booklet to parishes around the world, and SEI and the Dicastery will work together to promote the project online and highlight the changes that it inspires.

A key tool in this regard will be the Laudato Si’ Action Platform, an online hub run by the Dicastery that brings together Catholics who have mobilized to tackle ecological challenges, in line with the Pope’s call to action. “The value of collaborating with the Holy See on global issues is, I believe, sometimes overlooked, especially in the non-Catholic world”, said Andrés Jato, Sweden’s current Ambassador to the Holy See. “This project however clearly illustrates the importance to engage with an actor that has an unprecedented ability to connect to people’s hearts and minds and that has a global infrastructure that allows it to reach out to every corner in the world. The Holy See is a force for positive change, in a stage of history when change is needed more than ever. Sweden is proud to have taken an active part in this collaboration and we will continue to look for opportunities to cooperate with the Holy See”. Watch a recording of the launch event. Read more about the project Explore the online version of the guide (PDF downloads also available in 5 languages) on sei.org/ourcommonhome and humandevelopment.va

 

Resources

Booklet - EN

Booklet - IT

Booklet - ES

Booklet - FR

Booklet - PT

Press release - EN

Speech - Cardinal Czerny

Speech - John Mundell

 

 

INCLUSION OF MIGRANTS

  

Cardinal Czerny: inclusion of migrants is key for the future

The Vatican Undersecretary for Migrants and Refugees speaks at the inauguration of the exhibition “Volti al Futuro” which was launched Tuesday by the Rome-based Astalli Centre for refugees on the occasion of its 40th anniversary

By Lisa Zengarini

The future of humanity passes through the social inclusion of migrants, building peace and social dialogue, Cardinal Michael Czerny said on Tuesday on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of Rome-based Astalli Centre, the seat of the Italian Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS). The Undersecretary for Migrants and Refugees for the Dicastery for the Promotion of Integral Human Development was speaking at the inauguration of the exhibition “Volti al futuro” (“Faces toward the Future”) at the Church of St. Andrew on the Quirinal Hill in Rome. In his remarks, the Vatican Prelate recalled how the then Superior General of the Society of Jesus, Father Pedro Arrupe, was spurred to found JRS and the Centro Astalli in 1980-1981 by the plight of Vietnamese boat-people.

He noted how his far-sighted idea was a concrete response to the crisis inspired by the Holy Spirit through discernment. The same discernment, Cardinal Czerny pointed out, is needed in today’s challenging times of COVID-19 in which humanity is offered a unique opportunity to change.

We cannot remain indifferent

“The pandemic,” he said, “has made us more aware of the concrete impact that our choices, decisions and actions have on the life of those who live miles away from us often causing them more suffering, rather than well-being and progress”. However, “for awareness to produce change, a clear and decisive assumption of responsibility is necessary.”  “We cannot remain indifferent” in the face of the pain and the wounds of the present world, Cardinal Czerny said. “We must allow ourselves to be questioned by the Holy Spirit”, which over the last 40 years “has continued to speak, even to shout, through the lives of wounded women and men fleeing conflict, climate change and poverty.”

Accompanying, serving, defending

The response suggested by Father Arrupe in 1981 is “accompanying, serving and defending” and this has been done by “so many women and so many men who, even at the Centro Astalli, have stood by people in the existential peripheries of history,” Cardinal Czerny further noted.

Approaching refugees as people

Echoing Pope Francis’ introductory remarks at the inauguration, the Cardinal said this work is a concrete “sign of hope” for our wounded world, which needs action, rather than “theoretical recipes”.  “We need to plan and walk together. However to do this,” he remarked, “we must truly approach refugees as people, learn about their life and understand their points of view.”  The challenge awaiting humanity in the future is therefore that of promoting "a culture of encounter which encourages more inclusive and supportive communities, walking toward an ever greater we," Cardinal Czerny concluded.

Building open and supportive communities

The inauguration of the exhibition was also attended by Cardinal Angelo De Donatis, Vicar of Pope Francis for the Diocese of Rome and local authorities.  Featuring in the exhibit, which runs until 28 November, are twenty portraits of refugees hosted in the Centre by Italian photographer Francesco Malavolta.

The President of Astalli, Father Camillo Ripamonti, SJ, said that, forty years later, the Centre is committed to continue its efforts toward “building open and supportive communities in which migrants are perceived as a gift”, noting that its volunteers are “credible witnesses of the beauty of meeting refugees.”

Vatican News

 

UNESCO - REINVENTING OUR FUTURE TOGETHER

 

Reinventing our future together: 

a new social contract for education

UNESCO's Commission on the Future of Education has just published its report Reinventing our Future Together: A New Social Contract for Education. Education is seen in terms of a social contract - an implicit agreement between members of a society to cooperate for a shared benefit. Challenges include climate change, threats to democracies, the digital revolution, etc. The report is presented more as an invitation to think and imagine than a plan. The OIEC and GPENreformation contribution to the report is here.

Réinventer notre avenir ensemble : un nouveau contrat social pour l'éducation

La Commission des futurs de l'éducation de l'UNESCO vient de publier son rapport intitulé Réinventer notre avenir ensemble : un nouveau contrat social pour l'éducation. L'éducation est vue en termes de contrat social – un accord implicite entre les membres d'une société à coopérer pour un bénéfice partagé. Les défis incluent le changement climatique, les menaces pour les démocraties, la révolution numérique, ecc. Le rapport est présenté plus comme une invitation à réfléchir et à imaginer qu'un plan. La contribution de l'OIEC et GPENreformation pour le rapport est ici.

Reimaginar nuestro futuro juntos: un nuevo contrato social para la educación

La Comisión del Futuro de la Educación de la UNESCO ha publicado ahora su informe titulado Reimaginar nuestro futuro juntos: un nuevo contrato social para la educación. La educación se ve en términos de un contrato social, un acuerdo implícito entre los miembros de una sociedad para cooperar en beneficio compartido. Los desafíos incluyen el cambio climático, las amenazas a las democracias, la revolución digital y más. El Informe se presenta más como una invitación a pensar e imaginar que como un anteproyecto. La contribución de la OIEC y GPENreformation para el informe está aquí.
Global Catholic Education

POPE TO YOUNG ECONOMIST: EITHER YOU ARE INVOLVED OR HISTORY WILL PASS OVER YOU

 Message: [EN - ES - FR - IT]

Pope Francis sends a videomessage to young economists and entrepreneurs attending the Economy of Francis, and warns them that they are the future.

 By Vatican News staff writer

 Pope Francis opened his videomessage by congratulating the young people attending virtually for their commitment and determination in the period leading up to and during the event. “You have not left out anything that gives you joy, worries you, outrages you and pushes you to change”, he said.

Addressing the participants of the meeting “the Economy of Francis” in Assisi from 19 - 21 November, Pope Francis recalls that the “original” idea was to meet in Assisi to be inspired on the footsteps of St Francis. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the meeting was postponed and eventually held online.

The Pope noted that St Francis was entrusted with a mission and that therefore, “this virtual encounter to Assisi for me is not a point of arrival but the initial push of a process that we are invited to live as vocation, as culture and as pact. As vocation, as culture and as pact.”

The vocation of Assisi

The Lord asked Francis to go and repair his house, left in ruins. Pope Francis noted that these words inspired and moved young Francis, as “when you feel called, involved and protagonists of the "normality" to be built, you know how to say "yes", and this gives hope.” Just as Francis did, “I know that you accepted this call immediately, because you are able to see, analyse and experience that we cannot go on in this way”. Pope Francis went on to note that the young people attending the metting "manifest a special sensitivity and concern to identify the crucial issues that challenge us" and that they did "from a particular perspective: the economy, which is your area of research, study and work."

The Pope then went on to warn that they are called "to make a concrete impact in your cities and universities, in work and trade unions, in companies and movements, in public and private offices with intelligence, commitment and conviction, to get to the core and heart where the themes and paradigms are elaborated and decided.  All this prompted me to invite you to make this pact. You cannot go outside where the present and the future are generated. Either you are involved or history will pass over you."

A new culture

Pope Francis then went on to note that a change is needed, wanted and seeked. "We do not have adequate and inclusive answers" to the problems that arise, he said, and "we lack the necessary culture and spirituality to allow and stimulate the opening of different visions and that does not allow itself to be locked in by a single dominant logic." 

"If there is an urgent need to find answers, it is essential to grow and support leading groups capable of developing culture, initiate processes - don't forget this word: initiate processes - chart paths, broaden horizons, create belonging... Every effort to administer, care for and improve our common home, if this effort is to be significant, requires changing "lifestyles, production and consumption models, the consolidated power structures that today govern society".  Without doing this, you will do nothing."

Too many people are suffering from this social and economic crisis, continued the Pope. "We must return a little to the mystique of the common good." 

A special time

In this way, continued the Pope, "the future will be a special time, in which we feel called to recognise the urgency and the beauty of the challenge presented to us". It will be a time, he continued, "that reminds us that we are not condemned to economic models that focus their immediate interest on profits as a unit of measurement and the pursuit of similar public policies that ignore their human, social and environmental cost."

The Assisi Pact

We cannot afford to keep putting off certain issues, said the Pope.

Today, thinking of the common good, we need in an inescapable way that politics and the economy, in dialogue, place themselves decisively at the service of life, especially human life". It is not enough to increase the common wealth for it to be equally distributed - no, this is not enough - it is not enough to promote technology so that the earth becomes more human to inhabit". This is not enough either.

Credit systems alone are a road to poverty and dependence, said the Pope. He explained that this "legitimate protest" calls for the stimulation and accompaniment of a model of international solidarity that recognizes and respects the interdependence between nations and favours control mechanisms capable of avoiding any kind of submission, as well as overseeing the promotion of the most disadvantaged and developing countries; each people is called to make itself the author of its own destiny and that of the entire world.

Dear young people, "get your hands dirty" and do not forget, from a crisis we never come out the same: we come out better or worse. 

Lessons from history

Concluding his videomessage, Pope Francis noted that "History teaches us that there are no systems nor crises able to completely cancel the capacity, the ingenuity, and creativity that God does not cease to stir in hearts. With dedication and fidelity to your people, to your present and your future, you can join others in weaving a new way of making history. Do not be afraid, said the Pope, to get involved and to touch the soul of the cities with the gaze of Jesus; do not be afraid to dwell courageously in conflicts and the crossroads of history so as to anoint them with the aroma of the Beatitudes. Do not be afraid, because no one is saved alone. No one is saved alone. To you young people, coming from 115 countries, I invite you to recognise that we need each other to give life to this economic culture."

 

MESSAGE : [EN - ES - FR - IT]

 

COVID: REBIRTHPASSES THROUGH INCLUSIVE TECNOLOGY FOR ALL

Pope Francis is certain of this and is repeating it to everyone: we will emerge either better or worse after the pandemic The global crisis requires that the parameters of human co-existence be rethought through the lens of solidarity. Based on this foundational idea, the "Covid-19: Building a Healthier Future" has been created in collaboration with the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, to offer a vision that might lead to the beginning of a new fraternity after the pandemic.

 

All experts who have their eyes trained on the social effects of Covid – along with a heart attuned to the conditions of those who are worse off – are well aware that a path out of this crisis will require massive doses of “nearness”. Thomas Banchoff, vice-president of “Global Engagement” at Georgetown University and one of the experts appointed by the Pope to the Vatican Covid-19 Commission, focuses heavily on a “green technological revolution”. “The time is over,” he says, “in which we could allow ourselves to celebrate technological progress without paying attention to its negative environmental impact.” Now, he continues, we need to develop “sustainable and inclusive economics” and “make technology part of the solution.”

You are part of the Vatican COVID 19 Commission, Pope Francis’ response mechanism to an unprecedented virus. What do you personally hope to learn from this experience? In what way do you think society as a whole can be inspired by the work of the Commission?

R. – The Commission is a wonderful opportunity to think with the Church about this unprecedented crisis and its implications for the world. The Commission allows us to connect Catholic Social Teaching with different disciplinary lenses on the pandemic and its farreaching impact on public health, the economy, and world affairs. At a time of great suffering, when so many are tempted to despair, the work of the Covid-19 Commission is a source of hope.

Pope Francis asked the COVID 19 Commission to prepare the future instead of prepare for it. What should be the role of the Catholic Church as an institution in this endeavor?

R. – The pope has challenged us to imagine and pursue a better future in the midst of this terrible crisis. As a global community animated by faith, hope, and love, the Church is well positioned to articulate and embody principles that can guide us as we seek to rebuild just, inclusive and sustainable economies and societies. Several core principles of Catholic Social Teaching are fundamental, including solidarity, the preferential option for the poor, and the common good.

The world is divided into those who manufacture new technologies and those who use them. Factory workers often labour in ethically deplorable conditions: children, poor and exploited populations, people who have no rights. Is there any hope for change?

R. – As Pope Francis has pointed out, deep social inequality is one of the greatest evils facing the world today. At a time of great material abundance and revolutionary breakthroughs in technology, most of the world's population must struggle to make ends meet. Women, children, refugees and migrants are among the most vulnerable. There is reason for hope, however. Greater social inclusion through access to education, healthcare and a just wage is a key to long term prosperity in countries around the world. The moral imperative of addressing social inequality also has a strong economic logic.

Is the race for the latest technology justified, which, in addition to exploiting human beings, it also irreversibly pollutes the planet?

R. – The time has passed when we can afford to celebrate technological progress without attention to its negative environmental impacts. The industrial and consumer technologies which have driven unprecedented prosperity have also strained our ecological systems to the breaking point, devouring natural resources, threatening biodiversity, and promoting climate change. We need to make technology part of the solution. The development of effective Green technologies and the shift toward sustainable economies, while still in its early stages, will help us chart a path to a more hopeful future.

Is it reasonable to envision sustainable technology that respects the environment, and which is more widely accessible, even for those who work to manufacture it?

R. – As Pope Francis powerfully argues in his Encyclical Laudato Si', the ecological question and the social question are deeply connected. The degradation of the environment and the acceleration of climate change have a disproportionate negative impact on poor communities. Looking forward, it will not be enough to produce sustainable Green industrial and consumer technologies. We need to make those technologies accessible to workers and citizens. The fruits of the Green technology revolution must must be widely shared - in keeping with the principle of solidarity and in view of the fact that economies that are both sustainable and inclusive will have competitive advantages into the future.

The world is more and more connected. Could the right to be connected digitally become a fundamental right? What are the consequences?

R. – Today the exercise of basic human rights is increasingly connected with access to digital communications technology. Universal rights that flow from the dignity of the human person - including the right to life, heath, education and employment and the freedom of religion, expression, and association - have a strong social dimension. They cannot be exercised in isolation. In an era when digital technology, including the Internet and mobile communications, connect people and empower citizens as social actors, wider access to those technologies is an ethical and policy imperative. Without it, the scourge of deep social inequality - already a pressing global problem - will become an even greater challenge.

Rethinking technological progress to make it more equitable, evenly-distributed and accessible does not entail overturning the entire economic system. With the shock of the current crisis fresh in our minds, would now be a good time to carry out this reflection?

R. – The pandemic has revealed the extent of social inequality in our world; poor and marginalized communities have suffered the greatest losses in health and economic terms. As we look to the future, our watchword should be not recovery but transformation. We should deploy the most advanced technologies and best policy know-how to build public health and economic institutions that are not only resilient but also inclusive. A top-down, government-driven approach will not achieve the goal. Policy frameworks that encourage market competition, technological innovation and social inclusion are our best option.

 

Vatican News

 

EUROPE, FIND YOURSELF! - EUROPE, TROUVE-TOI ! - EUROPA, ¡ENCUÉNTRATE A TI MISMO! - EUROPA, FINDE DICH SELBST!

Pope Francis dreams of a Europe of solidarity and respect for all peoples

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In a letter to the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Pope Francis retraces the history and values of the European continent and expresses his desire for fraternity and solidarity among nations amid a period marked by individualistic tendencies.

 

By Vatican News staff writer

 

Pope Francis, in a letter to Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin, shares his visions of a Europe of the future, marked with solidarity, friendship and unity, and true to the spirit of the continent’s founding fathers. The Pope’s letter comes as the Holy See and the Church in Europe celebrate three anniversaries this year. First, the fiftieth anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the then-European Community and the Holy See, by its presence as an Observer at the Council of Europe. Second, the founding of the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Communities (COMECE), forty years ago. Third, this year also marks the seventieth anniversary of the Schuman Declaration which inspired the continent’s gradual process of reintegration after the two world wars. In light of these notable occasions, Cardinal Parolin is to make significant visits to EU authorities, the Plenary Assembly of the COMECE and the authorities of the Council of Europe in the near future.

The European Project

In his letter released on Tuesday, Pope Francis highlighted that the European project, born of the realization that “unity is greater than conflict” and solidarity can be “a way of making history”, has began to “show signs of a certain regression” in our days. The Covid-19 pandemic, the Pope noted, “has emerged as a kind of watershed, forcing us to take a stand.” We can continue to go at it alone, “seeking unilateral solutions to a problem that transcends state borders” or rediscover the path of fraternity that inspired and guided the founders of modern Europe, beginning with Robert Schuman.

Europe, find yourself!

Pointing out that an age of rapid change can bring with it “a loss of identity, especially when there is a lack of shared values,” Pope Francis urged the continent, re-echoing the words of Pope Saint John Paul II in the Santiago de Compostela, saying: “find yourself, be yourself.” He called on the continent not to look back at its past “as an album of memories”, but rather to rediscover its “most deeply-rooted ideals.” “Be yourself! Do not be afraid of your millenary history, which is a window open to the future more than the past. Do not be afraid of that thirst of yours for truth, which, from the days of ancient Greece, has spread throughout the world and brought to light the deepest questions of every human being. Do not be afraid of the thirst for justice that developed from Roman law and in time became respect for all human beings and their rights. Do not be afraid of your thirst for eternity, enriched by the encounter with the Judeo-Christian tradition reflected in your patrimony of faith, art and culture,” the Pope said.

Europe of the future

Reflecting on the kind of Europe we envision for the future and its distinctive contribution to the world, Pope Francis laid out four images. First, a “Europe that is a friend to each and all.” Pope Francis said he envisions a land “respectful of everyone’s dignity, in which each person is appreciated for his or her intrinsic worth” – not from an economic standpoint or as a mere consumer. A continent that protects life at every stage, from conception until its natural end, as well as a land that promotes work as a means of personal growth and the creation of employment opportunities. Pope Francis’ second dream is of a “Europe that is a family and a community.” The Pope said he aspires for a land respectful of the “distinctiveness of each individual and every people”, which becomes a “genuine family of peoples, all different yet linked by a common history and destiny.” The Pope also dreams of an “inclusive and generous” Europe which is “welcoming and hospitable,” and where charity – the highest Christian virtue - overcomes every form of selfishness and indifference. Here, solidarity, which demands that we care for one another, will lead us towards “guiding those most vulnerable towards personal and social growth.” 

As solidarity also involves “being a neighbor to others,” it will mean for Europe to be willing, “through international cooperation to offer generous assistance to other continents” including Africa where “there is a need to resolve conflicts and to pursue a sustainable human development.” The Pope also urged Europe to meet the present challenge of migrants, enabling them “to learn, respect and assimilate the culture and traditions of the nations that welcome them.” Pope Francis’ fourth dream is of a Europe marked by a healthy secularism “where God and Caesar remain distinct but not opposed.” The Holy Father said he thinks of a land where believers are free to profess their faith in public and to put forward their points of view in society.

Christians have a task

“Christians today have a great responsibility,” said Pope Francis. “They are called to serve as a leaven in reviving Europe’s conscience and help generate processes capable of awakening new energies in society.” The Holy Father, therefore, enjoined all believers to “contribute with commitment, courage and determination to every sector in which they live and work.” Concluding, Pope Francis entrusted Europe to the protection of her patrons: Saints Benedict, Cyril and Methodius, Bridget, Catherine, and Teresa Benedicta of the Cross.

 Vatican News

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