Michael Wright

On this 10th anniversary of one of the most extraordinary documents in the church's history, we need to revisit Laudato Si' and heed Pope Francis' call for an integral ecology and better stewardship of creation as a moral imperative.

The moral imperative to care for creation seems lost on conservative leaders and lawmakers, who support protecting human life and yet oppose protecting the environment that sustains it. 

As the U.S. bishops state in "Faithful Citizenship": "We have a moral obligation to protect the planet on which we live — to respect God's creation and to ensure a safe and hospitable environment for human beings."

Church leadership's avoidance of hot-button topics not only withholds the moral guidance many seek (and that pastors are responsible for offering), but also denies opportunities for collective intercessory prayer. 

Pope Francis' new apostolic exhortation, Laudate Deum, is a renewed clarion call to address climate change and to promote integral ecology. But it may not have much of an impact in the U.S. Here's why.

Commentary: The Supreme Court seems poised to overturn Roe v. Wade. But its conservative supermajority does not bode well for other morally grave issues before the court, including those involving the environment.

Commentary: This time of shared crisis affords us a serendipitous opportunity to grow beyond ourselves by considering how our actions can affect others and creation itself

Eco Catholic: As Catholic Christians, we are called to value life "in all its stages." This means we are also called to value that which sustains life — including the environment.