Renewing his “urgent call to respond to the ecological crisis,” Pope Francis invited the 1.3 billion Catholics worldwide to join a week of celebration and action in May commemorating the fifth anniversary of his landmark encyclical “Laudato Si’, on Care for Our Common Home.”

In a video message March 3, Francis officially announced Laudato Si’ Week, set to take place May 16-24. Throughout the nine days, the pope has asked the global Catholic community to undertake ambitious actions to address the mounting environmental perils facing the planet and its people — climate change; ecosystems in the Amazon, Australia and the Arctic approaching tipping points; and the unprecedented threat of biodiversity loss facing 1 million plant and animal species. (more)