In Conversation: Laudato Si’ and the Parliament’s Global Ethic Document

The Global Ethic, the signature document of the Parliament of the World’s Religions since 1993, and the Roman Catholic Encyclical Laudato Si’ on care for our common home are two landmark statements on care for the Earth. Scholar Dawn Nothwehr, a Catholic environmental ethicist, compares and contrast the two documents. She is an expert on Laudato Si’ and the Global Ethic. In 2018, after a lengthy process of consultation with scholars and leaders from various religions and regions, language elaborating a commitment to a culture of sustainability and care for the Earth was added to the Global Ethic. Laudato Si’, an encyclical of Pope Francis published in 2015 critiques consumerism and irresponsible development, warns of environmental degradation and climate change, and calls for sustainable lifestyles and ecological education.