St Mary’s Leads Project on First Comprehensive Survey of Laudato Si’ Initiatives in Europe

Researcher in Sustainability at St Mary’s University, Twickenham (SMU) Dr Roland Daw has led a first-of-its-kind initiative with a consortium of Catholic universities to provide a clear picture of Laudato Si’ initiatives across Europe through The Living Laudato Si’ in Europe survey.

The Living Laudato Si’ in Europe survey was launched by the European Laudato Si’ Alliance (ELSiA), a network of seven major Catholic organisations working together on ecological conversion. The survey was issued in late 2023 with the objective of providing a systematic overview of Laudato Si’ related work and activities being undertaken by Catholic organisations across Europe.

Pope Francis published his landmark encyclical Laudato si’ in 2015, calling on all people of goodwill worldwide to respond to the ‘cry of the earth’.

Lead Investigator on the project and Senior Lecturer at SMU Dr Roland Daw said, “This exploratory work indicates that there are many Catholic organisations around Europe that have made Laudato Si’ an important part of their work, and suggests that where this work is happening, it is distinctively collaborative. The findings do leave us with some questions, however, particularly around whether Catholic ecological action is getting all the resources that it needs.”

The project was conducted by a consortium of five universities, led by SMU’s Dr Roland Daw and supported by Universitá Cattolica del Sacro Cuore (Milan), Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Universitat Ramon Llull, and Hrvatsko Katoličko Sveučilište (Catholic University of Croatia).

The full report provides qualitative and descriptive statistical analysis of ecological initiatives carried out by Catholic organisations across Europe based on 2023 data. The survey was disseminated across 20 European countries, translated into nine languages, and received 283 responses from ecologically engaged Catholic organisations, including parishes, dioceses, religious communities, and Catholic charities.

The major findings generated from the survey include:

• Laudato Si' had a tangible effect. 95% of catholic organisations in Europe that responded to the survey indicated that Pope Francis’ encyclical has had a tangible impact on their organisations. This has led to substantial changes or total transformations in 36% of the cases.
• Ecology is not an ephemeral fashion. Nearly half of the participants anticipate their organisations will continue or increase their commitment to integral ecology in the future.
• Ecological initiatives, an example of synodal approach. About 60% of the respondent initiatives inspired by Laudato Si’ were community engagement and participatory actions, showcasing a shift towards practical and communal ecological activities.
• Ecological work leads to an open Church with wide collaborations, within the Church and across faith and borders. A notable 82% of respondent organisations reported collaborating with other faith-based groups, and 81% worked with non-faith-based organisations on ecological issues. This illustrates a broad, inclusive approach to ecological sustainability.
• Ecological initiatives motivate people to get involved. 93% of the respondent initiatives rely on volunteers, and 37% depend entirely on them which shows that the role of volunteerism in driving ecological projects is significant.
• Resource issues (person-time and money) were the main barrier to ecological action, highlighted by the finding that 38% of respondents stated that their organisation commits less than 5% of their financial resources towards environmental initiatives, despite the survey’s sampling bias toward ecologically engaged organisations. Organisations facing financial constraints often contribute less to integral ecology, highlighting a need for increased financial commitment to overcome these barriers.

The report suggests providing more time and resources, promoting ecological discussions, and equipping organisations with practical tools and knowledge can enhance the effectiveness of their initiatives.

Various successful ecological initiatives across Europe were included in the report, serving as models that can be replicated in other contexts. This highlights the innovative ways Catholic organisations are addressing the ecological crisis.

The full report from The Living Laudato Si’ in Europe Survey can be found here.