"'Laudato Si' has been a watershed for the Church and for the world.""The Letter": Laudato Si' documentary film to be releasedThe Holy See's instruments of accession to the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the 2015 Paris Agreement entered into force on October 4, the Solemnity of St. Francis of Assisi.
The initiative had already been announced in July, with the deposit of the same instruments at the UN General Secretariat. In this way, the Church, and more specifically the Vatican City StateThe World Summit on Sustainable Development, wants to be in the front line to morally support the efforts of States to cooperate adequately and effectively "to the challenges that climate change poses to our humanity and to our common home", which then has a particular impact on the poorest and most fragile.
A challenge that concerns everyone
It was Pope Francis, in his Encyclical "Laudato si'".The President renewed the invitation to all the peoples of the planet to dialogue in the face of "a confrontation that unites us all, because the environmental challenge we are facing, and its human roots, affect and touch us all".
In October last year, in a Message to the UNFCCC COP-26, the Holy Father had called for "a true and proper conversion, individual but also communal", wishing for the "transition towards a more integral and complete model of development, based on solidarity and responsibility".
The film "The Letter
On the eve of this important event of adherence to the Paris Agreement, a new documentary entitled "La Lettera" has been presented at the Vatican, narrating the journeys to Rome of several leaders who are at the forefront of promoting the themes of Laudato si', from the Brazilian Amazon, Senegal, India and the United States.
Among them is Arouna Kandé, a social work graduate, who is exploring ways to develop his home village sustainably, including building a local health clinic. Cacique Dadá leads a regional working group to improve the health of indigenous communities and has developed a training program for environmental activists.
Another key player is Ridhima Pandey, whose initiative provides education and support to India's poorest communities, while Greg Asner and Robin Martin created MERC Hawaii, an educational center in Hawaii that combines the expertise of science, communities and indigenous partners to protect and restore marine biodiversity.
The film was produced by Oscar winners "Off the Fence" and includes an exclusive dialogue with Pope Francis and never-before-seen footage of his inauguration as Pontiff.
It is presented by "Youtube Originals" and is the first time a film featuring the Pope is available for free through a streaming service. It can be viewed here:
Global campaign
In the coming months, a global screening campaign is planned in various parts of the world to put pressure on those responsible for the COP27 climate summit and the COP15 UN nature summit.
"Guided by the moral compass provided by Pope Francis, I hope we can all find renewed motivation and commitment to protect our common home and have compassion for all living things, including human beings," said director Nicolas Brown.
The "Laudato si'" Movement, which brings together more than 800 organizations and 1,000 volunteers worldwide, the Dicastery for Communication and the Dicastery for the Service of Integral Human Development have collaborated on the project.
