Ways to further incorporate “Laudato Si’,” Pope Francis’ 2015 encyclical on creation, into the life of the church locally and nationally were a topic of discussion at the fall Nov. 2 general assembly of U.S. bishops in Baltimore. 13, and included a proposal to return to the church’s long-held practice of abstaining from meat on Fridays.

Archbishop Borys Gudziak, chair of the Domestic Justice and Human Development Committee of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, and Bishop A. Elias Zaidan, chair of the conference’s International Justice and Peace Committee, spoke about the upcoming 10th anniversary of Pope Francis. May 2025.

The bishops spent some time at table discussions on Nov. 13 talking about how their diocese and the USCCB could celebrate the anniversary and “help Catholics care for our common home.”

“The news is full of wars, political polarization and violence, threats to life and inequality, to name just a few,” said Archbishop Gudziak, president of the Ukrainian Catholic Archparchy of Philadelphia. “It may be tempting to let the care for creation become less prominent. I believe the answer is found in ‘Laudato Si’ itself: ‘Everything is interconnected.’”

Archbishop Gudziak suggested that the document “can be integrated into our core mission of evangelization.”

To do this, he said, evangelization must be seen and accepted as the framework of holistic ecology; This is possible using the lens of Pope Francis’ “Laudato Si” encyclicals; here the pope offers his “opinion”. holistic ecology” and “vision for the common good”; “Fratelli Tutti”, which focuses on the practices and brotherhood required to achieve this vision, and “Dilexit Nos”, which shows the necessity of heart transformation at the individual level.

Archbishop Gudziak linked creation care to the 2025-2028 Mission Directive adopted by bishops that morning, which emphasized the need to evangelize, especially with young people in mind.

“When it comes to religiously unaffiliated or unaffiliated youth, emphasizing creation is particularly effective because it appeals to both the path of justice and the path of beauty,” he said. “Young people are interested in the environment. They know the importance of this for themselves and future generations. Whether religious or not, their devotion demonstrates an innate sense of the dignity of life and creation. “This way, we have a young generation that is passionate about the future of life on our planet.”

Archbishop Gudziak offered two practical suggestions for consideration by the body of bishops: First, to use Shabbat as a day to focus on the care of creation through “efforts concentrated on creation, leisure, and celebration.” These might include a pilgrimage to a local temple, basilica, or ecological site that “evokes the wonder of God’s creation,” he suggested.

“Consider holding a special Mass to engage with creation on the feast of St. Francis or preaching the unity of creation and the divine in the Eucharist,” he added. “Such initiatives should be Sabbath-oriented and overflowing with celebration and joy.

“The purpose of this proposal is not to do something, but to experience something; the mystery of God’s presence in the sacraments and in creation,” he said.

Archbishop Gudziak’s second proposal was more traditional: The bishops are considering reviving the church’s tradition of abstaining from meat on Fridays, which is no longer mandatory after reforms following the Second Vatican Council.

Noting that scholars have “calculated that the environmental benefits are significant,” Archbishop Gudziak said returning to the practice of abstaining from meat on Fridays would be “good for the soul and the planet” and would “help unify our commitment.” The Lord respects the Lord’s creation.”

He added that fasting “can be an opportunity for synodal participation, exploring ancient practices such as the Days of Embers in the Latin liturgy or the fast of Advent and other rich Eastern Christian practices among Catholics and others.”

To be “truly integral and integrated,” attention to creation must be “embedded in the local reality of each community,” said Bishop Zaidan, who also leads the Maronite Diocese of Our Lady of Lebanon in Los Angeles. or place.”

He gave examples of practices already in place at institutions such as the Catholic University of America in Washington; Catholic Charities USA; and Catholic Relief Services. He also noted the work being done at the diocesan, national and international level.

Bishop Zaidan noted that the USCCB “continues to advocate for bipartisan policies to address climate change as well as sustainable agriculture, protection of ecosystems and forests, and regulation of pollution, chemicals, nuclear waste, food, and more.”

He noted that the USCCB continues to support “international efforts to mitigate and adapt to climate change, with special attention to the poor and vulnerable who bear the brunt of disasters around the world.”

“As we celebrate the anniversary of Laudato Si, we must keep the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor at the center,” he said.