Whilst Laudato si’ continues to provide inspirational guidance on climate change, much remains to be done within the Roman Catholic Church

The ecumenical charity Green Christian welcomed Laudato Si’ as “one of the most encouraging doctrinal statements of the modern era”, which “launches a new programme of prophetic witness and collaboration [reaching] well beyond the Paris climate summit this autumn. Its post entitled “Green Encyclical: Now the work really starts” expresses concern that Catholic Social Teaching “must now urgently be called to account in the light of the encyclical… if [ecological renewal in the church’s witness] is going to take root, it is vital that his ‘integral ecology’ gains access to the citadels of Catholic teaching on social justice and on ‘life’”.

Whilst such a fundamental change in Catholic doctrine would seem  unlikely even  in the medium-term, there are nevertheless other areas within the Roman Catholic Church where work needs to commence, as highlighted by the following examples. Continue reading →