In 2015, Pope Francis made a powerful intervention in the story of climate change. His encyclical Laudato Si set out a vision for addressing climate change, confronting injustice and working for the poorest. It came ahead of the Paris climate talks, invigorated the climate debate well beyond the Catholic church, and continues to inspire as part of a Laudato Si movement.
The encyclical, or letter, is celebrated in a new documentary currently available through Youtube – though in keeping with Pope Francis’s own style, he is not the centre of the story. Instead, the documentary draws our attention to voices from the margins, from Senegal, the Amazon, India, and Hawaii. As a diverse group of activists travel to Rome to meet the pope and share their perspectives, we get an active demonstration of what it means to seek the common good.
The film has been made in collaboration with the Laudato Si movement and is available in full, free of charge, on Youtube. Churches and community groups are “warmly invited” to host a screening, and there are details about that here.
Trailer below:
Have you seen The Letter? Let us know what you thought of it in the comments.