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On the 10th anniversary of Laudato Si’, Pope Francis’ encyclical on care for creation, two US bishops have released a pastoral letter addressed to young people, urging them to lead efforts to renew hope and protect the environment.
The May 21 letter comes during the global Catholic celebration of the Jubilee Year of Hope and shortly after the election of Pope Leo XIV, whose papacy began with “a hopeful message of unity, peace and justice,” the letter stated.
Signed by Archbishop Borys Gudziak and Bishop A. Elias Zaidan, the letter encouraged young people in their role of confronting climate change and environmental degradation. They noted that besides a deep care for the environment, Pope Francis also exhibited a closeness to youth throughout his papacy.
“He often celebrated the ways that young people like you help the world to remove the scales from our eyes, and we thank you for your witness,” the bishops wrote. “We, too, want to accompany you as your faith enkindles a desire to respond to the ‘cry of the earth and the cry of the poor’ (Laudato Si’, no. 49).”
The letter outlined a range of interconnected global crises, including climate change, biodiversity loss, industrial pollution, and the impacts on marginalized communities. They noted that climate change can entrap people in poverty, illegal mining can threaten indigenous peoples’ homes and livelihoods, and toxic waste contributes to high asthma and cancer rates in low-income areas.
Children, the bishops warn, are particularly vulnerable.
“Extreme weather threatens the health, education, safety, and future of children born today more than in previous generations,” they wrote. “When we fail to steward the gifts of our Creator carefully, we also manifest our blindness to the ways we are all interconnected and interdependent.”
The bishops continued that youth are a vital part of the church’s response to these environmental challenges, noting that they have the capacity to make impactful changes that will last for generations.
They noted several examples of youth working to protect the environment, including a 2025 pilgrimage in California involving more than 400 youth and adults praying for ecological conversion.
“By this kind of bold witness, youth and young adults serve as a vital bridge,” the bishops wrote. “Do not doubt that you have the power to inspire and lead efforts to effect change locally and globally.”
The bishops quoted Pope Francis’ 2019 exhortation to young people, Christus Vivit, in which the late pope urged young Catholics not to live passively: ”Don’t go through life anaesthetized or approach the world like tourists. Make a ruckus! Cast out the fears that paralyze you,” (Christus Vivit, no. 143).
The bishops concluded by invoking Pope Leo XIV’s words, writing: “We are all in the hands of God. Therefore, without fear, united hand in hand with God and among ourselves, we move forward. We are disciples of Christ.”
