Father Lawrence Frizzell, director of the Institute of Judaeo-Christian Studies, invited Cardinal Peter Turkson, president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, to offer his reflections on Pope Francis’s encyclical on the environment, "Laudato Si: On Care for Our Common Home," at Seton Hall University.

"Laudato Si'" is the second encyclical of Pope Francis. Its title is derived from the invocation of St. Francis of Assisi: "Laudato si', mi' Signore," in "The Canticle of Creatures." Here he recalls that the earth, "our common home," is like "a sister with whom we share our life and a beautiful mother who opens her arms to embrace us."

The reference to St. Francis serves to remind us of "the example par excellence of care for the vulnerable and of an integral ecology lived out joyfully and authentically. [...] He shows us just how inseparable the bond is between concern for nature, justice for the poor, commitment to society, and interior peace." (Pope Francis, "Laudato Si,'" #10)

(Photo: Father Lawrence Frizzell, Cardinal Peter Turkson and Rabbi Alan Brill in 2016)