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'Why is Nature not a Mother, but a Stepmother who refuses to feed us?' Nikolai Fedorov, a nineteenth-century Russian philosopher, asked after a particularly horrible famine. 'Why is it natural [...]

The encyclical Laudato Si' is a sustained theological and ethical reflection on ecology. Within Laudato Si' the topic of fresh water is useful to consider as a contemporary issue foregrounded in the first chapter of the encyclical and as a representative topic for how the natural and social sciences are integrated into the pope's modes of ethical analysis. A consideration of fresh water as a socio-natural substance in a pluralistic age suggests important directions for social ethics and moral theology in an era characterized by planetary degradation, social exclusions, and embodied burdens. Keywords Catholic Social Teaching, ecology, ecological theology, environmental ethics, fresh water, human rights, indigenous cultures, Laudato Si', natural law theory, Laudato Si' is a sustained theological and moral reflection on the multifaceted idea of ecology in ways that generate spiritual insights and ethical obligations. (1) This article first depicts a [...]

This article enters into dialogue with Laudato Si'. Part one examines the gap between the social imagination of the future and the long-term climate effects of our actions: the 'deep future.' Part two argues for the intrinsic teleological connection between the doctrines of creation, Christology, and eschatology in order to create theological foundations for opening our imaginations to the deep future. Part three addresses the apparent contradiction between God's bringing of the kingdom, which is the ground of our hope, and human responsibility. Keywords Anthropocene, climate change, creation, ecology, eschatology, incarnation, Laudato Si', providence, responsibility, In the opening chapter of Laudato Si', Pope Francis makes an urgent appeal 'for a new dialogue about how we are shaping the future of our planet.' (1) This article [...]

This article probes the explicit use of the natural sciences in Laudato Si', examining in particular its engagement with environmental science and modern technologies in the light of Catholic social teaching on the environment and broader theological engagement with ecology. What are the particular philosophical presuppositions and theological emphases that this encyclical brings to its analysis of the natural world and how do they inform its specific engagement with ecology and science? The article analyzes aspects of contemporary scientific discussion that are particularly relevant for the themes of the encyclical and whose inclusion would have made this an even more convincing document. It also highlights specific philosophical, scientific, and conceptual inconsistencies that have arisen as a result of combining different scientific and theological themes. Keywords Anthropocene, biodiversity, climate change, ecology, environmental justice, environmental science, integral ecology, Laudato Si', theology of creation, Ecology is a relatively new science, first introduced by German biologist and philosopher E. H. Haeckel (1834-1919). (1) The term is derived from the Greek word for home (oikos) and [...]

This article interrogates the notion of ecological conversion through the lens of the four conversions suggested by Bernard Lonergan and Robert Doran: religious, moral, intellectual, and psychic. It further dialogues with Laudato Si' to examine how the encyclical illustrates the usefulness of the four types of conversion in bringing out the full reality of ecological conversion. Keywords anthropocentrism, Robert M. Doran, ecological conversion, intellectual conversion, Pope Francis, Laudato Si', Bernard Lonergan, moral conversion, psychic conversion, religious conversion', The term 'ecological conversion' has now fully entered into the lexicon of Catholic social teaching. Coined in Catholic circles by Pope John Paul II, the phrase refers to a significantly [...]

Elizabeth Johnson's Ask the Beasts: Darwin and the God of Love Editor's Introduction In the months preceding the appearance of Laudato Si', Elizabeth Johnson published her major new work on [...]

Laudato Si' offers a profound and in some respects new theology of the natural world. In the analysis offered here, it is proposed that three threads can be discerned in the theology of nature contained in Laudato Si': first, other creatures have intrinsic value; second, they express and reveal God; third, they form with human beings a sublime communion of creation in God. The article concludes with a brief theological reflection on a theological development of the concept of sublime communion. Keywords book of nature, evolution, incarnation, intrinsic value, natural world, revelation, To read, or reread, Laudato Si' is to discover fresh insights into the relationship between God and the planetary community of life on Earth, our common home. Those who spend [...]

The concept of integral ecology is at the center of Pope Francis's call for the renewal of our common home. However, throughout Laudato Si', this concept remains somewhat under-defined. In this article, I clarify both the structural and qualitative dimensions of Francis's concept by demonstrating the ways in which it aligns with Gustavo Gutierrez's classic concept of integral liberation. In so doing, I argue that through the concept of 'integral ecology' Francis calls for the radical conversion of the political and cultural dimensions of the global system, a metanoia that he roots in a vision of God's desire for humanity and the earth. Keywords Gustavo Gutierrez, Pope Francis, Laudato Si', integral ecology, integral liberation, liberation theology, sustainable development, option for the poor, option for the earth, At the center of the political vision of Laudato Si' is the concept of integral ecology, to which Pope Francis devotes an entire chapter (chapter 4, 'Integral Ecology'). In so [...]

References in the encyclical Laudato Si' to the writings of Paul are brief and rare. Yet the creation stories of Genesis 1-3, which do feature prominently, receive a rich development in Paul's theology, notably in his presentation of Adam as a negative foil to the redemptive work of Christ. This article argues that an appreciation of the Adamic theology emerging from passages such as Romans 5:12-21; Philippians 2:6-11; I Corinthians 15:21-28, and particularly Romans 8:18-22, can fruitfully enlarge the range of Scripture to which the encyclical makes appeal. Keywords Adam, anthropocentrism, eco-theology, Genesis, Laudato Si', Paul, Romans, I Corinthians, Philippians, Psalm 8, Pope Francis addresses his call for an urgent conversation about the crisis affecting 'our common home' to 'every person living on this planet' (1) (LS 3). The encyclical is open [...]

The encyclical Laudato Si' calls for a deep reading, for its consistent message that 'everything is connected' leads to a fundamental questioning of several operating assumptions for modern societies, economies, politics, and ways of life. Fundamentally, the encyclical calls into question the model of progress that has been presumed in the modern age. The new idea of progress put forth in this encyclical presumes the connectedness of all things, and offers a way forward toward solving the ecological crisis. But this cannot happen apart from ecological conversion and a new way of seeing our place in the world. Keywords ecological conversion, environmental justice, integral ecology, Laudato Si', sustainable economics, technology, Laudato Si' has found a major echo the world over. The reactions to the text have been quite varied. Some have faulted the pope for allegedly committing himself too wholeheartedly [...]

A Barthain objection is observed in the project of natural validation theology according to which, far from being required to engage in the project, the theologian is required to abstain from engaging in it. It is argued that this objection is plausibly motivated by the thought that engaging in natural validation theology inappropriately commits one of the irrelevance of putatively nonnatural belief-sources.