Dear Forum colleagues,

We are delighted to share a special message by Pope Francis.

Since the publication of Laudato Si’ five years ago, September 1st has been celebrated by Christians as World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation and the beginning of the Season of Creation (September 1 – October 4), whose theme this year is “Jubilee for the Earth: New Rhythms, New Hope.”

On this day, Pope Francis reflected on the Biblical significance of Jubilee in light of restorative justice. We encourage you to read his message here.

As the Pope writes in his message, “In some ways, the current pandemic has led us to rediscover simpler and sustainable lifestyles. The crisis, in a sense, has given us a chance to develop new ways of living. Already we can see how the earth can recover if we allow it to rest: the air becomes cleaner, the waters clearer, and animals have returned to many places from where they had previously disappeared. The pandemic has brought us to a crossroads. We must use this decisive moment to end our superfluous and destructive goals and activities, and to cultivate values, connections and activities that are life-giving. We must examine our habits of energy usage, consumption, transportation, and diet. We must eliminate the superfluous and destructive aspects of our economies, and nurture life-giving ways to trade, produce, and transport goods.”

Please also see these two related news articles:

“Pope: peace with Creator, harmony with creation”
By Vatican News. September 1, 2020.

“‘Creation Is Groaning!’: Pope Francis Denounces Endless Growth, Humanity’s Assault on Nature”
By Andrea Germanos. Common Dreams. September 1, 2020.

The Pope will address the United Nations General Assembly online in mid-September and will convene an online assembly on the Global Compact on Education on October 15.

Warmly,
Mary Evelyn Tucker and John Grim