Abstract

Stollenwerk, Daniel J Like so much of Catholic social teaching before it, Pope Francis' Laudato Si' points to synthesis-a synthesis of reason and faith, science and religion, technology and ethics, practicality and beauty-as the key to not only care for our common home, but also the alleviation of poverty, and a sustainable and integral, ecological and human development. What the social teachings of the church have slowly established as a principle for development, education and ecumenism, Pope Francis specifically applies to today's ecological and humanitarian crisis. This article will look at the principle of synthesis as crucial to understanding Laudato Si' and its place in recent Catholic social teaching.