One of the cornerstones of the magisterium of Pope Francis was the cure of creation. «When he published the encyclical in 2015 Laudato yesHe comments Luca Martinotti of the coordination of the community network Laudato yes «It immediately aroused a lot of amazement both within the Catholic world and outside. The environmental world saw this document as the late arrival of the Church on issues that have been carried out for decades; At the same time, part of the world of the Church had not introjected – and in part still did not do it now – this vision of the creation and the common good of the earth as interconnected topics in Francesco’s vision. “Everything is connected,” said the Pontiff. Shortly afterwards the All brothersHere then is the link between environmental and social crises and vice versa ».
The two things coexist and must be faced in one moment.
“Certain. Whoever suffers first and immediately the effects of an increasingly stronger and impactful climatic crisis are precisely those parts of the most marginalized population, both within the individual companies and in the world geographical context. Population bands which, in fact, are in this moment in serious difficulty ».
But what was the real revolution?
“The humility that has always shown. He has never hidden that he had found himself as Archbishop of Buenos Aires, in 2007, in an assembly with all the bishops of the Amazon, or of the eight great states that contain part of the Amazon forest within their territory, and hearing many of his colleagues of these issues at the time, to feel totally strange to the fact that an enclave of religious could enter into the merits of these issues. The humility to recognize this urgency led him to define what he himself called an “ecological conversion” and which, to date, is a necessary condition for everyone to understand the state of the current climatic crisis “.
An ecological conversion that teaches us to keep the attention high on the environmental themes, even in the daily choices we make.
“The fact of writing such a simple but full of content, truly readable by everyone testifies to the fact that each of us, through its choices, can impact, for better or for worse, both on environmental and social crises. He has the power to direct the market and the well -being of the companies in which he lives. The example of the laudato communities yes that they were born in 2017 at the behest of the two very heterogeneous founders among them- The bishop then of Rieti, today of Verona, Monsignor Domenico Pompili and Carlo Petrini, also founder of Slow Food – are precisely the testimony that the individual individuals by joining themselves have the strength to impact in the territories in the territories, with small actions according to the needs of the contexts in which they live. You can make the difference starting from small things, such as cleaning the parks or the careful management of homemade waste to more important actions such as the educational one, entering in connection with schools, or involving a very marginal part of the population, as can be that of migrants who are found in our territory, often without any point of reference. Inserting them in society with several projects can really be the concrete example of Francesco’s message ».
This is what the network of the laudato communities does yes.
«Today there are about 70 active communities and each acts according to the needs of the territory and the community in which it lives. They are based on emotional intelligence and the austere anarchy the two cornerstones who, in a nice way, the two founders have given as a reference point. The emotional intelligence because there is no hierarchical order, you are full awareness that you are acting for the common good and that you can learn from errors ».
And Austria anarchy?
«Because each territorial group must feel free to carry out projects, initiatives according to the historical period of reference and the needs that the territory has, because it is not conceivable that the same urgencies are present at the same time in Trentino as in Sicily. The beautiful thing to network among so many communities is to share the initiatives and therefore, then, by emulation, to share, these circol and be carried out in different ways also in other territories ».
Two “imperatives” those you have given yourself very fitting also for the pontiff.
“Absolutely. Let’s say that the agnostic profession of one of the two founders, Carlo Petrini, with the message of the encyclical, to founded together with a bishop a network of community of this type enters a lot in tune with the opening that this Pope has always been able to give to 360 ° and all over the world. Like the Panamazzonic Synod, where there was a recognition of the religions and ancestral creeds of the Amazonian territories in full respect of the religious creed or the faith of the individual and of all types of difference. This is also part of the message of the Holy Father ».
Francesco has started processes. How will your work continue?
“His point of view and positioning has also been decisive also at a political level. He has marked a starting point and we are sure that he will continue to sprout over time and more and more in space. The very sad news was somehow announced by the last period of great suffering it has had to endure. His death creates despair in this historical moment, an important figure is missing worldwide, an important point of reference not only for the Catholic world. We absolutely hope to be able to respect what was a bit his will and his belief and to carry on the very important challenges he put on the table ».
