VATICAN CITY (CNS)—The Vatican hosted the worldwide premiere of a recent documentary on the urgent need to handle climate change on the feast of St. Francis of Assisi, the identical day the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change and the 2015 Paris Agreement entered into force for the Holy See.
The 2 events Oct. 4 helped mark the feast of the patron saint of animals and ecology, and the namesake of Pope Francis.
The Vatican became a proper party to the U.N. convention in July and declared at the identical time that it intended also to formally join the 2015 Paris Agreement.
“Each documents will enter into force for the Holy See, within the name and on behalf of the Vatican City State, on 4 October 2022, the Solemnity of St. Francis,” said a joint statement by the pontifical academies of Sciences and Social Sciences and the Vatican Secretariat of State’s section for relations with states.
Cardinal Michael Czerny: “Clearly, the good treasure of Laudato Si’’s wisdom must turn out to be way more deeply known and effectively put into practice.”
It was the identical day a recent film was launched on the Vatican for the world premiere of “The Letter: A Message For Our Earth,” based on Pope Francis’ 2015 encyclical letter, “Laudato Si’, on Take care of Our Common Home.”
Presented by YouTube Originals, the film was written and directed by Emmy-winner Nicolas Brown and produced by the Oscar-winning production company “Off the Fence.” It was made in partnership with the Laudato Si’ Movement, the Vatican Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development and the Dicastery for Communication.
Within the seven years because the pope’s landmark encyclical was published, “the environmental crisis of our common home has worsened drastically,” Cardinal Michael Czerny, prefect of the integral development dicastery, said at a Vatican news conference Oct. 4.
“Clearly, the good treasure of Laudato Si’’s wisdom must turn out to be way more deeply known and effectively put into practice,” he said.
The film features activists representing wildlife, Indigenous peoples, young people and the poor—the voices of those that are essentially the most impacted by the implications of climate change.
On the news conference, Hoesung Lee, chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, praised the pope’s letter as being in dialogue with science and emphasized motion was urgently needed.
“The scientific community welcomes the chance to interact with artists and the people of religion. Each faith and art hold a fantastic convening power and might encourage real collective climate motion,” he said.
The film features activists representing wildlife, Indigenous peoples, young people and the poor—the voices of those that are least listened to, but are essentially the most impacted by the implications of climate change, Brown said on the news conference. The film includes their meeting with Pope Francis last 12 months to discuss their national and private challenges and what must be done.
The activists included: Chief Cacique Odair “Dadá” Borari from the Amazon rainforest in Brazil; Ridhima Pandey, a 13-year-old climate activist from India; Arouna Kandé, a climate refugee from Senegal; U.S. scientists Greg Asner and Robin Martin; and Lorna Gold, president of Laudato Si’ Movement.
The film is streaming free of charge at theletterfilm.org and YouTube Originals. People were encouraged to host viewings on a big screen at their parish, school or area people in an effort to encourage dialogue and motion.
