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Vatican Launches Digital Atlas to Support Laudato Si’
· Confirmed
In Short: The Vatican has launched a new digital atlas to support Pope Francis’ ecological vision outlined in Laudato Si’.
The Vatican has launched a new digital atlas to support Pope Francis’ ecological vision outlined in Laudato Si’. The Platform, launched in 2021 following the Laudato Si’ Year in 2020, provides a digital space for families, parishes, schools, religious congregations, and dioceses to develop ecological plans and monitor their progress.
During a press conference at the Holy See Press Office, Alessandra Smerilli, Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, emphasized that Laudato Si’ was intended not merely as a document to be read but as an invitation to personal and communal ecological conversion.
Users will be able to explore participating institutions by country or diocese and, where permission is granted, access their ecological plans and experiences. The Atlas will also incorporate environmental data on deforestation, emissions, and exposure to hurricanes.
Molly Burhans, an American cartographer who pioneered the data collection and curation of the Atlas of Laudato Si’, emphasized the importance of understanding the environment to make effective environmental action.
The Platform’s next priorities include improving accessibility, strengthening the use of data, and developing a global network of Digital Missionaries.
The Pope’s encyclical Laudato Si’ calls for Catholics to move from words to action in caring for our common home, and the new digital atlas aims to facilitate this transition.
What this adds
The new digital atlas builds on previous efforts to map and support ecological initiatives within the Catholic Church, aiming to provide a comprehensive and accessible platform for environmental action.
The Atlas will help users understand the environmental challenges and opportunities in their regions, fostering a more informed and engaged approach to ecological stewardship.
The launch of the Atlas coincides with ongoing discussions and initiatives within the Church to address climate change and environmental degradation, reflecting a growing recognition of the urgent need for action.
Background
The Vatican has launched a new digital atlas to advance Pope Francis’ ecological vision outlined in Laudato Si’.
The Vatican has launched a new digital atlas to advance Pope Francis’ ecological vision, aiming to connect Catholic institutions' ecological initiatives with geographical and environmental data.
What's confirmed
- Launched in 2021 following the Laudato Si’ Year announced by Pope Francis in 2020, the Platform provides a digital space for families, parishes, schools, religious congregations and dioceses to develop ecological plans, undertake practical initiatives and monitor their progress.
- The Platform's next priorities include improving accessibility, strengthening the use of data and developing a global network of Digital Missionaries.
- Alessandra Smerilli, Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, stressed that Laudato Si’ was intended not merely as a document to be read but as an invitation to personal and communal ecological conversion.
- The Digital Atlas was unveiled during a press conference at the Holy See Press Office on Wednesday, which also reviewed the Platform’s achievements over its first five years.
- The Atlas will also incorporate environmental data on deforestation, emissions and exposure to hurricanes.
- Ten years after the publication of Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si’, the Vatican has launched a new digital atlas to advance his ecological vision.
What's still developing
- The Pope ‘expressed his solidarity with them and, through them, with all those who have suffered and continue to suffer from the wounds of abuse,’ the Vatican said.
- According to previous Vatican explanations, the installation will employ solutions intended to preserve agricultural activity, safeguard the hydrogeological balance of the area, minimize environmental impact, and protect the cultural, archaeological, and landscape heritage of the site.
- This site is well known in Vatican history: since 1957 it has housed the transmission facilities of Vatican Radio, one of the Church’s most important communication instruments throughout the twentieth century.
- Villanova University is a Catholic liberal arts university in Pennsylvania.
Sources
- Catholicconnectlink
- EWTN Newslink
- National Catholic Registerlink
- Vaticannewslink
- Warpbeatlink
- Ncregisterlink
- Zenitlink
- Cathnewslink
- Thecatholicthinglink
- Bccatholiclink
- Heraldmalaysialink
- WarpBeat — background on Vatican Launches Digital Atlas to Support Laudato Si’ link
- WarpBeat — background on Vatican Launches Digital Atlas to Advance Ecological Vision link