With the film “The Letter”, the Laudato Si’ movement brings ecology to the world | RCF

The origins of a letter with international ambitions

In May 2015, two years after his election, Pope Francis published Laudato Si’, hailed by many observers and recognized as a reference in terms of integral ecology. The first words of the encyclical are those of Saint Francis of Assisi. Very quickly, Laudato Si’ became the name of an international movement which works to apply the precepts of the text. the movement wants to be hybrid, and wants to pass the Christians “to action to protect our common home and achieve ecological and climate justice.”.

This is the first social encyclical devoted to integral ecology. The Holy Father consulted philosophers, theologians and environmental thinkers to convey a message dispelling doubts about climate change. Laudato Si’ is often associated with the expression “everything is connected”, which summarizes the overall thought of the text. The pope exposes in fact the other crises linked to climate change: social crises, the marginalization of many people. A path for an ecological conversion is proposed, to take care of “our sister mother earth”.

Steeven Kezamutima is coordinator of the Laudato Si’ movement in French-speaking African countries. It was in July 2015 that he discovered the encyclical. This lay Franciscan is therefore going to Nairobi for a big conference. “In his letter, the pope speaks of the ecological debt between the countries of the North and the South, it was one of the great subjects treated in Nairobi”. Laura Morosini, responsible for Europe of the movement, recalls that the issues raised by this encyclical are different depending on the regions of the world. If climate change is experienced unevenly across continents, “what is at the heart of the Laudato Si’ movement is ecological spirituality and the reduction of the carbon footprint”. Christians must therefore make their voice heard, both nationally and internationally, for example during the COPs.

A major movement that participates in global dialogue

In an hour and a half documentary, we see the consequences of climate change around the world. Pope Francis meets there four personalities who embody the clamor of the Earth and of the poor. Anne Doutriaux is the Laudato Si’ France coordinator. She tells howthe film was a big project. The ambition is to introduce as many people as possible to the encyclical.. The Pope invites dialogue, seen as one of the solutions. The documentary gives life to this dialogue and precisely aims to create it. The film is available entirely on Youtube and downloadable for free on a platform to broadcast it on the big screen.

Laura Morosini believes that “the images speak a lot and touch different sensitivities”. The metaphors used by the pope seem very lively and impactful. The documentary shows people of different spiritualities and nationalities, once again promoting interreligious dialogue and showing that it is together that we can change things: everything is connected. The documentary is thus a tool for awareness and movement. At the origin of the project, the Laudato Si’ movement came into contact with the dicastery, in charge of integral human development. For Steeven Kezamutima, the pope shows a face of compassion and listening: “the film also gives the poor a chance”.

A major movement that participates in global dialogue

If the text has been so well received and so hailed, it is because it is addressed to all, believes Anne Doutriaux. The encyclical encourages us to question our ways of life, what we must change and how to do it. Laura Morosini considers it a “lucid text that does not mince its words on the gravity of the situation: humans must change because they have put themselves in danger”. The coordinator of Laudato Si’ France recalls that the movement was born “shortly before the release of the encyclical, uniting Catholics who wanted to get involved”. It was first in the Philippines that the movement took hold, quickly joined by countries in South America and then by religious congregations from all over the planet. If recognized by the Vatican, the movement remains independent. Christians are invited tofeed themselves other than through the consumption of material goods”.

For Anne Doutrieux, Laudato Si’ allowed her to gain credibility : she feels “green among Christians and Christian among greens”. It recalls the hope that carries Christians and the bonds that they must weave. To spread the pope’s message, online training is organized. In France, the movement is in its infancy: the territory has 80 facilitators and only two training sessions have taken place. For Laura Morosini, “weak signals exist: the commitment of young people is admirable, they weave deep bonds”. In short, the documentary invites us to question ourselves on what a good life is: “we can live intensely with little”.