On 18 and 19 August 2025 the Katholiek Studie Netwerk organized an expert meeting in Leuven to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Laudato Si’. 30 scholars from various institutions and stakeholders shared their thoughts on the implementation of Laudato Si’.

Caroline Vander Stichele and Deborah de Koning represented the Tilburg School of Catholic Theology.

Caroline critically reflected on the gendering of the Earth in Laudato Si’ and how the use of certain vocabularies – especially the cry of the female earth and the cry of the poor – reinforce stereotypes of gender and victimhood. 

    

Deborah reflected on the relevance of pilgrimage for the implementation of Laudato Si’. She introduced the case-study of the Canticle of the Sun-path (organized in the Netherlands to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Laudato Si’ and the 800th anniversary of the Canticle of Creation) to illustrate how the sensorial experiences during walking are a first step to rethink how more-than-human nature can become part of the experience of communitas.