At 3am today, April 21, 2025, news services in California announced the death of Pope Francis. Among the many memories of his extraordinary life, his Encyclical on Climate Change, Laudato Si, on the urgently needed care of our common home, came to my mind.
Only nine days ago Pope Francis had announced the celebration, in September 2025, of the 10th anniversary of Laudato Si. Now we need to create the conditions for peace to prevent the destruction of our home without his help.
But Laudato Si has dual roots. Maybe for the first time in the history of papal encyclicals, Pope Francis invited scientists to create the text - foremost among them John Schellnhuber. You will hear precious excerpts from his presentation inside the Vatican on June 17, 2015, at the end of this program. Laudato Si includes statements that not the poor but the wealthy are putting our planet, and ultimately humanity, at risk.