Laudate Deum embodies this spirit of the nonviolent way forward by standing against the power of the systemic violence destroying the planet; by proposing nonviolent approaches and strategies; and by calling for nonviolent action. In reflecting on this follow-up to Laudato Si’, it is possible to see this document itself as a form of nonviolent action Pope Francis is taking at this critical moment in history.
Pope Francis sharpens the reality of this choice for us. He does this by highlighting the concrete realities of systemic violence which are worsening the destruction of the planet and the growing climate crisis.
In the face of this violence, he points us toward a nonviolent way, underscored by two powerful convictions he enunciates in this document: “This allows me to reiterate two convictions that I repeat over and over again: ‘Everything is connected’ and ‘No one is saved alone.’” Because everything is connected, violence hurts everyone, just as nonviolence can mend the web of life in which we are all embedded. This very image makes clear his second point, that we are all in this together, and will not be saved singly.