In 2015, Pope Francis issued the encyclical Laudato Si’: On Care for Our Common Home, calling the entire world to respond to the urgent challenges of environmental degradation and social injustice.

Rooted in the spirit of St. Francis of Assisi, Laudato Si’ reminds us that all creation is interconnected and that caring for the Earth is inseparable from caring for one another.

For Xavier University-Ateneo de Cagayan, this call shapes its identity as a Jesuit and Catholic institution, forming men and women who serve God and others through responsible stewardship of creation.

 

Laudato Si’ (which means “Praise be to You”) takes its name from the Canticle of the Creatures by St. Francis of Assisi, celebrating God’s presence in all creation — “Brother Sun,” “Sister Moon,” and “Mother Earth.”

In this encyclical, Pope Francis reflects on the moral and spiritual dimensions of the ecological crisis and calls for a new way of seeing and living: one that unites faith, reason, and love for the planet.

Laudato Si’ challenges every person and community to undergo an ecological conversion, recognizing that “the climate is a common good, belonging to all and meant for all.”

Laudato Si’ is not merely an environmental document — it is a reflection on faith. Pope Francis reminds us that creation is a gift of God, entrusted to our care. To harm the Earth is to harm our relationship with the Creator and with one another.