Ten years after the publication of Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si’, the Vatican has launched a new digital atlas to advance his ecological vision.
The Laudato Si’ Platform launched the Atlas of Laudato Si’ at a press conference Wednesday at the Holy See Press Office in Rome. The organization also presented its fifth annual report at the conference, highlighting 13,600 participants since 2021 and new tools to implement integral ecology within the Church.
Presenters included Sister Alessandra Smerilli, FMA, prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, and Bishop Allwyn D’Silva, auxiliary bishop emeritus of the Archdiocese of Bombay, India.
Care for creation is not optional
Among the themes discussed at the conference was the need to continue concrete actions toward care for the environment.
In her presentation, Smerilli said Catholic commitment to caring for creation is “not optional.”
“Living our vocation as guardians of Godʼs work is ‘not something optional nor a secondary aspect of Christian experience,’” Smerilli said. “Caring for creation and caring for humanity are one and the same task.”
Participants also reflected on the impact of Laudato Si’ since its publication.
“The seeds sown by Laudato Si’ have borne much fruit in different parts of the world,” DʼSilva said.
A new digital Catholic atlas
The press conference also presented a new digital atlas to demonstrate the Church’s commitment to integral ecology worldwide. The atlas uses data from the Leonum Institute of the Catholic University of America and the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum) in Rome.
The Atlas of Laudato Si’ will allow users to explore ecological initiatives by institutions and dioceses, and also access data on natural disasters.
Molly Burhans, an American cartographer who pioneered the data collection and curation for the project, explained the importance of atlases and defended the integral ecology’s importance for Catholics.
“If you want to make environmental action, you should understand the environment,” Burhans told EWTN News. “And the best way to understand the environment is maps.”
“We are here to care for the garden. That’s in Genesis. If someone believes there’s a political agenda behind caring for the environment, I think they should go back and read the Bible.”