This Monday, May 20, the European Laudato Si’ Alliance (ELSiA) presented the results of “Living Laudato Si’”, the first comprehensive survey on integral ecology conducted in Europe, at an online event held at the start of Laudato Si’ Week.
The results were compelling: 95% of Catholic organizations in Europe indicated that Pope Francis’ encyclical has had a tangible impact on their organizations. This has led to substantial changes or integral transformations in 36% of cases.
At the same time, it was learned that ecology “is not a passing trend”, and has a “synodal approach”, since the activities inspired by the encyclical were “community and participatory actions, showing a shift towards practical and community-based ecological activities”, according to the survey.
It also showed an “open church,” as 82% of the organizations reported working with other denominational and non-denominational groups. Volunteers were another highlight, with 93% of initiatives relying on volunteers.
The survey shows, on the other hand, that the main obstacle to environmental action is resources (time and money), as 38% of respondents stated that “their organization allocates less than 5% of its financial resources to environmental initiatives, despite the fact that the survey sample was skewed towards organizations committed to going green.”
The survey was launched at the end of 2023 in 20 European countries, translated into nine languages and received 283 responses from Catholic organizations committed to ecology, including parishes, dioceses, religious communities and Catholic charities. Its aim was to provide a systematic overview of the work related to Laudato Si’ and the activities being carried out by Catholic organizations across Europe.
Access the full report
The research was conducted by a consortium of Catholic universities: St Mary’s University Twickenham, Universitá Cattolica del Sacro Cuore (Milan), Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Universitat Ramon Llull, Hrvatsko Katoličko Sveučilište and EMD Ecole de Management Marseille.
The European Laudato Si’ Alliance (ELSiA) is a network of Catholic organisations working together to bring the encyclical letter Laudato Si’ to life. Founded in 2019, it is currently composed by seven members. They are: Caritas Europa, CIDSE, COMECE, Don Bosco International, JESC, Justice and Peace Europe and the Laudato Si’ Movement. ELSiA intends to promote ecological justice and the social teaching of the Church as a shared and coordinated commitment of Catholic Alliances.