Nature in the Encyclical Letter Laudato si’: Gender and Ecology

Abstract

The encyclical letter Laudato si’, published in 2015, had a considerable impact on public opinion because it addresses thematically the connection between ecological problems and the genesis of poverty. The text of the encyclical makes the attempt to reconcile the language and concepts of Catholic theology and the way these issues are taken into account in the political agenda. Doing so, the encyclical letter introduces an ambiguous definition of the concept of nature that, while allowing to think about a relationship with the world that is not based on the mere exploitation, implies the connotation of the relationship with the other – as a starting point for relations with the world – as heterosexual. It thus ends to advance the polemic against the questioning of gender roles and against homosexual parenting in the context of the discussion of issues affecting the environment.

Keywords: Encyclical Letter, Laudato si’, Catholicism, nature, heterosexuality