On the Feast of St. Francis, October 4, 2023, the Vatican released an apostolic exhortation from Pope Francis: “Laudate Deum,” or “Praise God” addressed “To all people of good will on the climate crisis.”
In the introduction, Pope Francis explained his motivation for a follow-up document to Laudato Si’:
“Eight years have passed since I published the Encyclical Letter Laudato Si’, when I wanted to share with all of you, my brothers and sisters of our suffering planet, my heartfelt concerns about the care of our common home. Yet, with the passage of time, I have realized that our responses have not been adequate, while the world in which we live is collapsing and may be nearing the breaking point.” (LS #2).
Laudate Deum was released ahead of COP28. In 73 paragraphs split into 6 chapters, Pope Francis addressed the global climate crisis, the growing technocratic paradigm, the weakness of international politics, climate conferences: progress and failures, what to expect from COP28 in Dubai and spiritual motivations.