Launch of Laudate Deum: A Last Call For The Planet?

A new book responding to Pope Francis’s apostolic exhortation Laudate Deum is now available as a free digital download, with print-on-demand copies available soon. 

Laudate Deum: A Last Call for the Planet?, published by the Laudato Si’ Research Institute (LSRI) in collaboration with ‘Partnerships for Change’, was launched at an online event that brought together more than 140 participants from around the world, including academics, theologians, scientists, and policymakers. 

Dr Timothy Howles, LSRI Associate Director, opened the event by describing the volume as “a multi-contributor book that builds upon, and is inspired by, that letter [Laudate Deum], and indeed by the example and legacy of Pope Francis and his entire body of social teaching on ecology.”

The book has been edited by Revd Prof. Joshtrom Kureethadam SDB and Dr Tobias Thornes.

Revd Prof. Joshtrom Kureethadam, Coordinator of Ecology and Creation at the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, and co-editor of the book, explained that the idea for the book came from a sense that the papal exhortation had not yet received the attention it deserves: “Through this book, we want to resonate and amplify the prophetic message in Laudate Deum. Time is running out. We need to act.”

Dr Tobias Thornes, an Oxford-based climate physicist and co-editor of the book, reflected: “One of the things I have been impressed by is the ecumenical nature of this work. That is something that I think Pope Francis himself would be very happy about, the way in which it has also brought together people from different traditions within the church, as we unite behind a common concern for creation.”

Prof. Celia Deane‑Drummond, Director of LSRI, described the book as a living example of integral ecology: “What we’re trying to do, in a way, is model integral ecology, bringing together social issues with theological issues.” She added: “Pope Francis believed that science and technology, once they replace our moral and theological framework, become problematic. They might try and solve problems, but they create a whole set of new ones as well. Integral Ecology rejects any philosophy of mastery over the natural world that humanity has in the past exercised.”

The LSRI spoke to Fr Josh about the motivations behind this urgent collection, the discomfort many feel when confronting Laudate Deum's message, and where hope might be found in our current moment. The interview can be found here.