Reflections on Pope Francis's Encyclical, Laudato si'

This volume represents a collection of essays by emerging and well-established Catholic scholars on Laudato si’, Pope Francis’s encyclical on the environment. All contributors are connected with the Maryvale Institute in Birmingham, the only Vatican approved Higher Institute of Religious Sciences in the English-speaking world. When it appeared, Laudato si’ was widely welcomed by many, and strongly criticised by others. All agreed that the encyclical was an important voice in the environmental debate.

As this book suggests, however, Laudato si’ is more than an encyclical on the environment: it is a thorough examination of the human condition in the early twenty-first century. Essays in this volume focus on the philosophical, textual, ecological, anthropological and theological aspects of Laudato si’, place it in a specific history of ideas, and contemplate its meaning for the modern world. Laudato si’ has been widely discussed in religious and secular circles alike, and this book will enhance the understanding of the text for both.