How are We to Live in Our Common Home? Reflections on Laudato Si, Pope Francis' Encyclical on Ecology

Cardinal Peter Turkson, president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace and the first cardinal from Ghana, will visit Ohio State’s Columbus campus for a community discussion on global sustainability. Turkson’s talk is set for Monday, Nov. 2, at 7 p.m. at Mershon Auditorium, 1871 N. High St.

Respected around the world as a Scriptural scholar, an advocate for the poor and disenfranchised in the developing world, and as a spokesperson for protecting the environment as a matter of social justice, Turkson has long made news with his comments that link ecology and human life. In 2013, he was highly expected to be named to succeed Pope Benedict XVI.

Turkson has become the face of climate change at the Vatican, having led the drafting process of Pope Francis’ encyclical on the environment, presented at the Vatican conference on climate change on April 28, and introduced the encyclical during a June 18 news conference.

The purpose of Encyclical Letter Laudato Si, as the document is entitled, is to elevate the debate on the moral dimensions of protecting the environment and to highlight the intrinsic connection between respect for the environment and respect for people. The encyclical calls for renewed and urgent action and honest dialogue about our environment, both social and ecological.

Turkson’s visit to Ohio State is part of a four-day stay in Columbus. In addition to speaking to students, faculty and the central Ohio community on Nov. 2, the Cardinal will also address the faith community during a conference organized by the Diocese of Columbus on Oct. 31, and hold Mass with the local Ghanaian community on Nov. 1.

Ohio State strives to educate its students to become global citizens, and recognizes its ongoing and evolving need to contribute to progress in the creation, dissemination and assimilation of knowledge of economic, environmental and social sustainability as essential aspects of intellectual growth and development. Cardinal Turkson’s visit will deepen the university conversation about sustainability, morality, politics and society, by raising awareness and understanding of this important statement of Catholic environmental teaching that has become a topic of conversations worldwide.

Turkson’s visit to Ohio State is sponsored by the College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, School of Environment and Natural Resources, Office of Energy and Environment, Humanities Institute, St. Thomas More Newman Center, Glenn College of Public Affairs, Mershon Center for International Security Studies, as well as the Center for African Studies and additional partners and student organizations. 

Learn more about OSU's many connections to Cardinal Turkson's home country of Ghana.