As Catholics and others worldwide grieve the death of Pope Francis and anticipate the election of the next Pope, I want to express personal gratitude for Pope Francis’ leadership in teaching about earth stewardship. He focused on the link between our personal choices and their consequences — not just for the natural world but also for our “neighbors” whom we are commanded to love.
I was personally motivated by Pope Francis’ teachings to increase my focus on caring for our shared home, Earth, and also to actively reach out to other earth stewards of faith, particularly my friends within The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In spring 2016 after reading the Pope’s encyclical, On Care for our Common Home, I reached out to LDS Earth Stewardship. The LDSES Board allowed me to start the first local chapter of LDSES (now known as LDSES: Mid-Atlantic). Until then the organization was focused online with only occasional stewardship events in Utah. LDSES is now growing chapters around the globe with other early chapters launched in Germany, Great Britain, New York, Ghana, Philippines, Salt Lake City, Provo, Northern California, Bear River and Inland Northwest. The most recent chapter is located in Boston.
If you haven’t read the Pope’s encyclical, I challenge you to do so. It may change your life.
The message is needed even more urgently now than in 2015. If you want to read a shorter version with photos, check out our post: https://eartheast.org/pope-francis-care-for-the-earth.
Merikay Smith
Photo of Pope Francis with President Nelson, March 2019; Church Newsroom.