“Laudato Si’, mi signore,” translated, “Praise be to you, my Lord,” are the opening words of the document, inspired by St. Francis of Assisi’s Canticle of the Creatures written in 1225. The document recognizes the damage that humans have done to the planet and each other and calls all people to respond to the “cry of the earth, and cry of the poor.”

Pope Francis lays out the current situation of the planet and its various ecological and human crises. He discusses pollution, climate change, biodiversity loss, issues with water, the decline in the quality of human life, inequality on a global scale, and addresses the weak responses to these crises on the international level. 

Francis then guides the readers through a Christian perspective on creation. He uses biblical accounts as a source of wisdom on the present situation and reminds the readers of their connection to the natural world and each other. Francis also reminds the readers that all of the goods of the earth are gifts of God and have a destination for the sustenance of all people without excluding or favoring anyone.

The document then acknowledges and discusses the human responsibility in these crises. Francis looks at the power that comes with the birth of new technology and how it has been used both for good, but also for the detriment of humanity. The advance of technology on the global scale has become dominant in culture and it is hard to imagine life without it. Francis urges that there is a need to rethink our use of technology in a more integral way considering the impacts on humanity and the planet. There is also an address to the anthropocentrism that is taking place with no concern for the natural world, seeing it only as an object to be used.

Pope Francis then responds to these crises and human causes with a presentation of Integral Ecology. The study of integral ecology looks at the environmental, economic, and social ecologies, stating their collective and connected importance in addressing global crises. Francis also addresses the impact the global economy can have on local cultures as uniformity is presented and sought after. Integral ecology also deals with human daily life calling for the creation of better communities with proper housing, transportation, and the creation of spaces that make people feel at home in a community. Francis ends the section on integral ecology with a connection to the notion of the common good, and with a plea for justice to future generations who live with the results of the current actions of humanity.

Pope Francis then moves into possible courses of action. These actions are all based on the principle of dialogue. Francis calls for dialogue to take place about the environment on the international level, and in local and national governments with a need for transparency on the impacts of projects. There is also a call for politics and economy to work in dialogue on the benefit of the whole human family. Lastly, there is a call for a need for dialogue between science and religions for working toward the common effort of alleviating the environmental and social crises. 

The document concludes with a section on ecological education and conversion. All people are called to a new lifestyle, particularly to address our consumption of goods as not only an economic act, but a moral one. There is also a call for ecological education to take place in all settings, to keep people informed of our global reality and to learn to see beauty in creation. This is all to lead in the hope of ecological conversion and the embrace of simplicity preached in Christianity. There is then an encouragement to embrace our civil and political life, understanding that actions of love, taken place in community, have positive impacts on the world. Francis then discusses spiritual connections to creation through participation of the sacraments, in the Trinity, and by the example of Mary, the mother of Jesus. The document concludes with two prayers, one interfaith, and the other specifically Christian in nature.