Methods for further integrating “Laudato Si’,” Pope Francis’ 2015 encyclical on care for creation, into the life of the Church at local and national levels were a point of discussion for bishops Americans in Baltimore at their fall general assembly in November 2015. 13, and included the suggestion of returning to the Church’s long-standing practice of abstaining from eating meat on Fridays.

Bishop Borys Gudziak, chairman of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, and Bishop A. Elias Zaidan, chairman of the conference’s Committee on International Justice and Peace, spoke words on the occasion of the upcoming 10th anniversary of Pope Francis’ encyclical. , i.e. May 2025.

Bishops spent time around discussion tables on November 13 to discuss how their dioceses and the USCCB can mark the anniversary and “help Catholics care for our common home.”

“The news is filled with wars, political polarization and violence, threats to life and inequality, to name a few,” said Archbishop Gudziak, head of the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia. “It can be tempting to let the concern for creation become less important. The answer, I believe, is found in “Laudato Si” itself: “Everything is connected.”

Archbishop Gudziak suggested the document could be “integrated into our fundamental mission of evangelization.”

To do this, he said, evangelization must be considered and accepted as the framework of an integral ecology, which is possible using the prism of Pope Francis’ encyclicals “Laudato Si”, in which the pope offers its “vision of integral ecology” and “vision of the common good”; as well as “Fratelli Tutti,” which focuses on the practices and brotherhood necessary to achieve this vision, and “Dilexit Nos,” which shows the need for conversion of heart on an individual level.

Bishop Gudziak linked the concern for creation to the Missionary Directive 2025-2028 adopted this morning by the bishops, which emphasizes the need to evangelize, particularly keeping young people in mind.

“When it comes to young people who are disaffiliated or unaffiliated with a religion, the concern for creation is particularly powerful, because it addresses both the path of justice and the path of beauty,” he said. -he declared. “Young people are attracted by the environment. They know its importance for them and for future generations. Religious or not, their commitment testifies to an innate sense of the dignity of life and creation. In this way, we are fortunate to have a generation of young people who are passionate about the future of life on our planet.

Archbishop Gudziak presented two practical suggestions for the body of bishops to consider: first, use the Sabbath as a day to focus on the care of creation through “efforts centered on creation contemplation, recreation, and celebration.” “. These, he suggested, might include a pilgrimage to a local shrine, basilica or ecological site that “evokes the wonder of God’s creation.”

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

“The point of this suggestion 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 suggestion was more traditional: that the bishops consider restoring the Church’s tradition of abstaining from meat on Fridays, which was no longer obligatory after the reforms following the Second Vatican Council. .

Noting that researchers 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 for the planet.” and would help “unite our devotion to the Lord in respect for the Lord’s creation.”

He added that fasting “could be an opportunity for synodal engagement,” by “exploring ancient practices of the Latin rite, such as the ember days or fasts of Advent, and other rich Eastern Christian practices among Catholics and others.

For his part, Bishop Zaidan, who also heads the Maronite Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon in Los Angeles, declared that the concern for creation, to be “truly integral and integrated,” must be “anchored in local reality of each community. or a place. »

He gave examples of practices already in place at organizations such as the Catholic University of America in Washington; Catholic Charities of the United States; and Catholic Relief Services. He also highlighted the work accomplished at the diocesan, national and international levels.

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

He said the USCCB continues to support “international efforts to mitigate and adapt to climate change, with particular attention to the poor and vulnerable, who bear the brunt of the world’s disasters.”

“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.