“Never have we so hurt and mistreated our common home as we have in the last two hundred years. Yet we are called to be instruments of God our Father, so that our planet might be what he desired when he created it and correspond with his plan for peace, beauty and fullness.”

Pope Francis’ 2015 encyclical on care for our common home, Laudato si’, offers both a stark portrait of the current global environmental reality and an urgent call to action. Many Earth Science scholars describe our current geological epoch as the Anthropocene, a newly destabilized state of the Earth where human action has an overwhelming impact on the functioning of the planet, leading not only to scientific and technological problems but also to political, economic, cultural, and ethical challenges.
Climate change and environmental devastation have an outsize impact on communities in the Global South, but many of these communities are also at the forefront of developing strategies for resilience. Join us for a conversation with Church leaders on how the Anthropocene epoch changes the way we think about justice, the planet, the Church, and what we owe one another.
This event will be livestreamed in both Spanish and English. More information about the  livestream will be added soon. 

Featuring:



Cardinal Pedro Ricardo Barreto Jimeno, S.J.
Archbishop Emeritus of Huancayo, Peru
Cardinal Barreto currently serves as the President of the Ecclesial Conference of the Amazon (CEAMA), a new international body linked to the Holy See. In this role, he promotes the recognition and appreciation of the charisms of all members of the People of God with an Amazonian identity, fostering a more participatory and synodal Church. He was created cardinal by Pope Francis in 2018, after serving as Archbishop of Huancayo since 2004. A Jesuit priest since his ordination in 1971, he has dedicated his life to the defense of human rights, ecology, and pastoral service. As Archbishop Emeritus of Huancayo, Peru, his trajectory reflects a deep commitment to social justice and the care of our Common Home.






Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson
Chancellor, Pontifical Academy of Sciences and Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences
Since 2022, Cardinal Peter Turkson has been the chancellor of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences. He was ordained a priest in 1975 and consecrated as Archbishop of Cape Coast in 1992 by Pope John Paul II, who also made him the first Cardinal Archbishop of Ghana in 2003. He has been a member of multiple pontifical councils, including president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace (2009-2017) and prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Human Development (2017-2021). He has served as a mediator in numerous politically volatile situations on the African continent and been a tireless champion of human rights and sustainable human development. In addition to his knowledge of Latin and Greek, he speaks six languages.



In conversation with:



Rev. Robert A. Dowd, C.S.C.
President, University of Notre Dame
Rev. Robert A. Dowd, C.S.C., serves as Notre Dame’s 18th president, having begun his tenure as president in June 2024. A faculty member in Notre Dame’s political science department since 2004, Fr. Dowd earned an undergraduate degree in psychology and economics from Notre Dame, and a Masters in African Studies and a doctorate in political science from UCLA.
Prior to his election as president, Fr. Dowd served as vice president and associate provost for interdisciplinary initiatives. He was ordained a priest in the Congregation of Holy Cross in 1994 and has ministered to students on campus for many years as a priest-in-residence.


Originally published at forum2024.nd.edu.