To celebrate the end of the Laudato Si’ Special Anniversary Year, Pope Francis invites the world’s 1.3 billion Catholics to joyfully participate in Laudato Si’ Week 2021, to be held 16-24 May.
The theme for the weeklong celebration is, “for we know that things can change” (Laudato Si’ §13). This year’s event coincides with the sixth anniversary (24 May) of when Pope Francis finished writing the encyclical.
Since then, Laudato Si’ has enlivened Catholic communities across the globe to work against the ecological crisis and climate emergency. However, more urgent action is needed to create a more just and sustainable future. As Pope Francis said on Earth Day, ‘When this destruction of nature is triggered, it is very difficult to stop it. But we are still in time. And we will be more resilient if we work together instead of doing it alone.’
During Laudato Si’ Week, Catholics are invited to come together and present to the world a living testimony of Laudato Si’ transformations. The week will feature online presentations from world-renowned leaders that will showcase how they’ve transformed their communities and invite Catholics to take similar action regionally and locally. The week will also finish with a preview of the tool that will help the global Church realise more progress in the decade ahead: the Laudato Si’ Action Platform. The Vatican-led effort will empower Catholic institutions, communities, and families to implement Laudato Si’.
Presentations will be made from around the world and will be available to view on Vatican news channels and at the Laudato Si’ website.
Laudato Si’ Week 2021 is sponsored by the Vatican Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development and facilitated by the Global Catholic Climate Movement in collaboration with Caritas Internationalis and dozens of Catholic partners around the world.
Australian event (21 May): “Sowers of Hope”
At the grassroots level, local leaders are invited to hold similar opportunities, including educational events and prayer gatherings, that will seek to inspire concrete action for our common home. This includes an online prayer and reflection event from 5.30pm on Friday 21 May.
The event is being co-hosted by the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference’s Office of Social Justice and Caritas Australia’s Catholic Earthcare program to celebrate the conclusion of the Laudato Si’ Year. All are invited to this special online event and are encouraged to invite others who would like to participate.
Learn more about Laudato Si’ Week 2021
