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Uniting the bonds that have been broken so together we can care for our common home together
Our global campaign action is an invitation to raise our voices and urge our leaders and decision makers to take action to care for our common home.
By building community, by creating a culture of encounter, by working towards the common good, not only do we flourish, so does our global family, and so does the earth. This is the nature of the integral ecology, for everything is connected.
The Trinity teaches us that one can never be without the other. We are not islands, we are in the world to live in God’s image: open, in need of others and in need of helping others.
- Pope Francis
In the spirit of fraternal cooperation, write a message to leaders and decision-makers on how we can care for our common home together.
Your message will be collated with other voices around the world, and presented to Pope Francis in a booklet demonstrating the demands placed on leaders and decision-makers to care for our common home together as one
By writing a “Together We Belong” message, you can instil change by emphasising the need for regulations that are more stringent and a reduction in plastic use and waste. We need to promote comprehensive regulations that eliminate unnecessary plastics, encourage reuse and ensure a circular economy. Climate change intensifies this challenge, amplifying, for example, the impact on aquatic ecosystems. You can write about how this phenomenon is affecting your local community. Your voice counts!
Integral ecology demands that local communities have a meaningful say in decisions affecting their lives, societies and environments, particularly in the context of extractive industries. Caritas organisations across Oceania, Asia, Latin America and Africa particularly highlight the economic, social and environmental challenges posed by extractive activities. Achieving fair outcomes for all requires, for example, just land agreements, an urgent call echoed by Catholic Church leaders for ecological justice, championed by Pope Francis. The heart of the matter often lies in the absence of free, prior and informed consent from local communities. Your letters can amplify this call for informed decision-making, ensuring the integral well-being of communities and aligning with the principles of ecological justice.
Are resources are designed to help you engage with our campaign and spread the word
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The purpose of this campaign is to promote the values and culture of our faith, as guided by the teachings of Pope Francis in Fratelli Tutti and Laudato Si’. Rather than criticising leaders and decision-makers, we are looking to engage with them within the spirit of fraternal cooperation.
We are asking you to write a message to leaders and decision-makers on how we can care for our common home together. This can include any aspect of the ecological crisis, including taking action on the climate emergency, working to overcome social inequality and poverty, addressing local community concerns like pollution or social injustices, or any other aspect of working towards the common good.
For these messages to have power, they must come from a community perspective. Rather than thinking about ‘I’, think about ‘We’. Think about the community you belong to, and how your voice is representing a real community need. This way your message will have more authenticity.
An example may include writing to a local leader about a polluted river that is harming your community, or writing to a political leader to address local community issues around reducing our carbon footprint, or writing to a decision-maker about how we can help climate displaced communities.
When writing your message, think about the tone and style. We are trying to overcome the culture of indifference and alienation. Rather than complaining, criticising or telling the recipient of your message exactly what you think they should be doing, think about how you can address the person in the spirit of fraternal cooperation. This means explaining the problem you are asking them to address, and how together we can work to bring about positive change. Think less confrontationally, and more collaboratively.
Speak to them like you would a sister or brother.
