A timely message for everyone about the importance of integral ecology to the future
Pope Francis was inspired by many scientists, intellectuals, and philosophers whose work focuses on sustainability in every sense of the word. One of these was Carlo Petrini, founder of the worldwide slow food movement and the inspiration behind the Terra Madre network of food communities. Through a series of conversations, a deep friendship between Pope Francis and Petrini was bornin the words of Pope Francis, a friendship between the head of the Catholic Church and a pious agnostic.
In Pope Franciss second encyclical, Laudato si (Praise Be to You), he gave the world his extraordinary vision of social justice, founded on respect for every living being and framed in terms of justice-driven economies that would not worsen environmental decline, poverty, and individual exclusion from society. Pope Francis asked Petrini to be his guide in the research and reading of material in preparation for the encyclical. Their work proved substantive and collaborative, and their relationship stood as a timely statement about the need to remove the wall that often divides believers and agnostics and prevents them from sharing ideas.
Future Earth, which was born from this work, delivers three critical dialogues about five core integral ecology themesbiodiversity, economy, community, migration, and education. In the eyes of Pope Francis, the discussion, while of broad relevance to all people, communities, and nations, is aimed squarely at younger generations, hopefully empowering them to reflect deeply, begin conversations, and organize pacifist collective activism that looks to new models of coexistence in an environment that is good, clean, and fair.
Table of Contents
Page 5
Preface
Dialogues for the Earth
By Domenico Pompili, Bishop of Rieti, Italy
Page 15
Part One
Three Dialogues
Page 17
Introduction
By Carlo Petrini
Page 19
Dialogue from May 30, 2018
Page 43
Dialogue from July 2, 2019
Page 69
Dialogue from July 9, 2020
Page 87
Part Two
Five Themes
Page 89
Biodiversity
Page 91
Biodiversity
By Carlo Petrini
Page 103
Querida Amazonia
(from the Apostolic Exhortation following the Synod of Bishops QUERIDA
AMAZONIA by His Holiness Pope
Francis, spoken to the people of God and of all people of good will, Rome,
February 2, 2020.)
By Pope Francis
Page 119
Economy
Page 121
Economy
By Carlo Petrini
Page 135
Evangelii gaudium
(from the Apostolic Exhortation following the Synod of Bishops QUERIDA
AMAZONIA by His Holiness Pope
Francis, spoken to the bishops, presbyteries and deacons, to those who are
ordained and to those who are faithful
laymen, in the announcement of the Gospel of today, Rome, November 24,
2013.)
By Pope Francis
Page 143
Letter from His Holiness Pope Francis to the popular movements
Page 149
Migrations
Page 151
Migrations
By Carlo Petrini
Page 165
It is not only about Immigrants (message from His Holiness Pope Francis for
the 105th World Day of
Refugees and Migrants 2019, September 29, 2019.)
By Pope Francis
Page 173
Education
Page 175
Education
By Carlo Petrini
Page 187
An encounter with students and with the academic world (Bologna, October 1,
2017.)
By Pope Francis
Page 195
Message from the Holy Father for the launching of the Educational Pact
(Vatican, September 12, 2019.)
By Pope Francis
Page 201
Community
Page 203
Community
By Carlo Petrini
Page 215
(Re)Thinking Europe (October 28, 2017.)
By Pope Francis
Page 231
Message by Pope Francis at the II Forum of the Laudato si Community
(Amatrice, July 6, 2019.)
By Pope Francis
Page 235
Acknowledgements
Carlo Petrini is an Italian activist, journalist, author, and founder of Slow Food International. He is the author of six books, including Slow Food Revolution: A New Culture for Eating and Living and Terra Madre: Forging a New Global Network of Sustainable Food Communities. He has received numerous awards, including the Sicco Mansholt Prize (Netherlands), the Eckart Witzigmann Prize (Germany), and he was named one of Time magazines one hundred most influential people of the year. He lives in Italy. Pope Francis is a native of Buenos Aires, Argentina. In early life he worked as a food scientist and chemist. He later joined the Catholic priesthood wherein he was named archbishop of Buenes Aires and later cardinal. His papacy as bishop of Rome and sovereign head of the Church and Vatican City State began in 2013. He lives in Rome.
