After 10 years, what is the Laudato Si' legacy?

A copy of the encyclical "Laudato Si', on Care for Our Common Home," at Pope Francis' funeral in St. Peter's Square on April 26, 2025 (Tomás Insua)

As Laudato Si' Week 2025 comes to a close, the encyclical's impact over the past decade is undeniable.

"Ten years ago, Pope Francis signed the Encyclical Letter Laudato Si’, devoted to care for our common home," said Pope Leo XIV in his post-Regina Caeli remarks last Sunday (May 25). "It has had an extraordinary impact, inspiring countless initiatives and teaching everyone to listen to the twofold cry of the Earth and of the poor. I greet and encourage the Laudato Si’ movement and all those who carry on this commitment."

The Laudato Si' Movement U.S. Advocacy Working Group said in an op-ed at EarthBeat this week that Laudato Si' "was perhaps the first encyclical to inspire a global grassroots movement … Across the United States, many people have become passionate advocates and evangelists for the care of our common home."

"Laudato Si' has opened for me new understanding, connections for prayer and advocacy," commented Holy Spirit Missionary Sr. Rose Therese Nolta.

"It grounded me in my work on the environment by giving a spiritual context for it," said Nancy Lorence, leader of Metro New York Catholic Climate Movement, one of LSM's first chapters. "It became my 'north star.' "

"One impact Laudato Si' has had on me is that I am more active in my parish," said Glen Miller of Newark, New Jersey. "I saw it as a call to create a Creation Care Team and lead fellow parishioners to do small acts in response to the cry of the Earth and the cry of the poor. I spend much more time actively engaged in our parish than before."

Adam Fitzpatrick, Minnesota LSM Chapter co-leader and social mission outreach coordinator for the Center for Mission serving the Archdiocese of Minneapolis-St. Paul, said, "Laudato Si' has served as a foundation for how I operate as a leader in Catholic spaces and has acutely drawn my attention to the interconnection of how different social crises are all affected by each other."

I hear many people wondering what the next decade of Laudato Si'-inspired work might look like, and expressing their hopes for the future of Catholic teaching — and action — on care for creation.

In the eyes of Tomás Insua, the co-founder and former executive director for 10 years of Laudato Si' Movement, "Laudato Si' set in motion a powerful undercurrent that is sweeping through the ocean. Or, rather, it dramatically accelerated an undercurrent that was already underway."

"The theology and spirituality of Laudato Si' are beginning to permeate the ethos of the massive family known as the Catholic Church. That is the powerful undercurrent in the ocean. Slowly but steadily, creation is gaining more attention in Christian spirituality, theology, liturgy and catechesis, with countless books and initiatives underway. Creation Day on Sept. 1, in particular, stands out for its potential to become a liturgical feast in many Christian churches, grounded in ancient and rich symbolism in the Eastern Church.

Gradually but decisively, this 'ecological conversion' unfolds. The rediscovery of the notion of God as Creator and of this world as a sacred gift will bear abundant fruit for decades — perhaps centuries — to come. Without a doubt, Laudato Si' will prove to be as transformative as Rerum Novarum in the 19th century, when Leo XIII opened the fruitful chapter of Catholic social teaching," said Insua in a commentary for EarthBeat.

He continued, "Let us continue walking with Pope Leo XIV in writing this next chapter, which is already off to a promising start. Now that Francis of Rome has recently joined Francis of Assisi in standing face to face with God, let us honor their love for creation by uplifting their wisdom and turning it into action."

What else is new on EarthBeat:

Here's how 10 US dioceses have embraced Laudato Si'

by NCR Staff

In the 10 years since Pope Francis released Laudato Si', dioceses across the United States have responded to varying degrees to the encyclical's call to care for the planet and its people. Here are 10 of those stories.

Laudato Si' called all to climate action, but omitted women from the conversation

by Christiana Zenner

"The women problem" in Laudato Si' is nothing new. The failure to centralize, regard and learn from women and their experiences abounds in Catholic theology and ecclesial realities. In the next decade, the church must fill this gap.

Dan Horan on Laudato Si' at 10: Touch the earth right in front of you

by Daniel P. Horan

If we only think on cosmic scales, everything becomes too overwhelming to consider or tackle," writes Dan Horan.

Supreme Court rejects plea to halt copper mine on Arizona land sacred to Apaches

by Mark Sherman, Associated Press

The Supreme Court rejected an appeal from Apaches who want to stop the transfer of Oak Flat federal land to Resolution Copper, which plans to mine what it says is the second-largest known copper deposit in the world.

Tourism must respect, care for creation, workers, Vatican official says

by Carol Glatz, Catholic News Service

During the Holy Year, the Vatican is calling for those involved in tourism to make Christian hope concrete by investing in just and sustainable practices.

Through plants, I learn to listen to God in Kichwa

by Jenny Castañeda, Translated by Helga Leija

Sr. Jenny Castañeda believes that her "wounded Indigenous identity" does not need perfection but recognition.

What's happening in other climate news:

US woman brings first-ever wrongful death lawsuit against big oil —Dharna Noor for The Guardian

Trump plan could offload hundreds of national park sites to states —Heather Richards for E&E News

From EVs to HVAC, clean energy means jobs in Central Illinois —Kari Lydersen for Canary Media

$14 billion in clean energy projects have been canceled in the US this year, analysis says —Alexa St. John and Isabella O'Malley for the Associated Press

Supreme Court backs a controversial railroad in Utah for carrying oil —Lisa Song for Inside Climate News

A journalist was killed while writing a book on the Amazon. Here's how friends completed his work —Fabiano Maisonnave for the Associated Press

A Swiss village is buried after a glacier collapses in the Alps —Eleanor Beardsley for NPR

Final Beat:

Laudato Si' Week may be ending, but EarthBeat's encyclical anniversary coverage is not!

One way we'll continue to mark the occasion throughout the coming weeks and months is by revisiting some of our past articles with a series of "Laudato Si' 10 for 10" lists. This week, we started with a list of 10 U.S. dioceses that have embraced the teachings of Laudato Si' to varying degrees. Coming soon are lists of what 10 bishops have said about Laudato Si', how 10 universities have integrated Laudato Si' into their campuses, 10 Laudato Si' lifestyle changes Catholics have made in their own homes, and more.

These lists aren't meant to be exhaustive, but rather to give a peak into the impact of Pope Francis' landmark encyclical on the environment and human ecology and its living legacy that continues to unfold.

Thanks for reading EarthBeat.

Stephanie Clary
Environment Editor
National Catholic Reporter
sclary@ncronline.org