Film chronicles pope’s ecological message

The documentary “The Letter” captures scenes of wreckage caused by the environmental crisis in the lives and communities thousands of miles away. The film may resonate in ways that hit close to home for residents of Louisiana, which is beleaguered with its own environmental issues.

St. George Church in Baton Rouge recently hosted a community viewing of the documentary.

“The Letter” details Pope Francis’ efforts to spread the message of his encyclical “Laudato Si’ ” at the grassroots level, which is addressed to “every person living on this planet.”

“We see what it is happening. And the worse thing is we are getting used to it,” the pope said in the documentary.

The film opens with Bilal Seck, of Senegal, looking upon his seacoast town, which rising seawaters had destroyed and took away job opportunities. He was full of confidence when he and a friend joined in a boat crossing to the Canary Islands but a storm at sea caused their boat to sink.

The scene changes to Pope Francis appearing before the United Nations in 2015. The pontiff told the general assembly that the environment should enjoy the same rights and protections as humanity and expresses concern for persecution of Christians. The documentary indicated the speech was met with mixed reaction.

The film then showed letters from Rome arriving in the hands of five people representing communities of the Indigenous, poverty, youth and science: Odair “Dadá” Borari,  a leader in the Novo Lugar community in Brazil; Arouna Kandé pf Senegal; Ridhima Pandey, a young climate activist from India; and scientists Greg Asner and Robin Martin come from Hawaii, who developed a technique to map underwater heat waves that kill coral reefs.

Before speaking with Pope Francis, the representatives spent several days bonding. The  meeting with the pope shows laughter and tears.

Afterwards the group traveled to Assisi, home of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of ecology.   

While there, Kandé receives a video call from Seck, his fellow countryman, that a friend did not survive while trying to escape flooding in a rickety boat at home. Undeterred, Kandé tells his companions, “We need to create a strong bond and never break it.”

People working to spread the “Laudato Si” message in the Diocese of Baton Rouge hope people here may create an unbreakable bond centered on protecting the planet.

“This is ‘our’ problem. We all contribute to it, are affected by it, and we are called to act to solve (or mitigate) it,” said Sandra Guzeman, a professor of biology at Baton Rouge Community College and a parishioner of St. Jude Church in Baton Rouge. “These issues are not just happening on the ‘other side of the world.’ Here in Louisiana our coast is quickly disappearing. Consequently, we have our own ‘climate nomads,’ the NA people living in the Isle de Jean Charles in Terrebonne, who are being resettled.

“We have livelihoods that have been turned upside down as farmers have crops lost from floodings, or families disrupted as people move away because it is risky to rebuild in the same place where the last hurricane hit. We have been present, to help when needed, bringing the light of hope when disasters have hit. But this call is to also act on the solutions, not react; Pope  Francis says they will be the ones who will inherit the planet.”

Guzeman added, “There is wisdom on the popular movements, there are known facts in science, all hands are needed with the common goal of saving Mother Earth … including us.”

JoDale Ales, who retired with 29 years of experience teaching science at the high school, community college and university level, saw and introduced the students first-hand to the impact of climate change. When she taught biology at St. Joseph’s Academy in Baton Rouge, she led field trips to the Lafayette wetlands and Turtle Cove in Manchac, as well as Timbalier Island to clean up trash.

Ales is involved with a social justice committee at St. George that had given out information about “Laudato Si.” When she learned about the Laudato Si’ action plan and the “Letter,” she received approval from St. George Pastor Father Paul Y to host the documentary viewing.

Father Yi said, “As a former chemical engineer, I can appreciate the impact of our consumptions of material goods on the environment. While technologically and financially well-resourced countries can recover from environmental impacts in a short time, for the people who live on the edge of poverty, one environmental disaster can adversely affect their livelihood and their survival. 

“ ‘The Letter’ does well to explain that we are to be good stewards of the gift of nature and resources that God has entrusted to us. We are at a crossroads; to choose to be good stewards or to neglect our role in taking care of our home which God entrusted to us.”

Carol Asher, a member of the Social Concerns Committee at St. Joseph Cathedral in Baton Rouge, became an animator for the Laudato Si’  action plan through Pope Francis’ online training. As a capstone project for the training, she sponsored a community Laudato Si’ walk at City Park last October.

She noted the tenants and goals of “Laudato Si’ ” are response to the cry of the poor; response to the cry of the earth; ecological economics; adoption of sustainable lifestyles; ecological education; ecological spirituality; and community resilience and empowerment. 

She pointed the action plan contains practical steps that can be taken by families, communities, local, state, federal and educational communities.

“We are all brothers and sisters in handing the gift of this earth from the Lord Jesus Christ to the next generation – hopefully better than we found it,” said Asher.

People from various faith denominations attended the St. George documentary, creating ecumenical ties in caring for creation.

“Ultimately, caring for creation is a spiritual calling,” said Father Tommy Dillon, rector of St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church in Baton Rouge.

St. Margaret’s became involved with the “Laudato Si’ ” movement and the documentary showing due to a longtime friendship with St. George’s Director of Adult Faith Formation, Karen Fawley.

“We are called to be good stewards of the earth and protect and preserve the natural world God has given us. By watching this documentary and taking responsibility for our actions, we can work towards a healthier, more sustainable future for God’s creation,” said Father Dillon. “St. Margaret’s involvement with the ‘Laudato Si’  movement and viewing the documentary manifests the church’s commitment to environmental stewardship and sustainable living. Through its participation in the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana’s Environmental Commission and other initiatives, St. Margaret’s seeks to promote awareness of environmental issues and encourage its members to take action to protect and preserve God’s creation.”

For more information about “The Letter” and the “Laudato Si’ ” movement, visit laudatosi.org.