In this month of September Pope Francis invites us to pray for the cry of the Earth: “Let us pray that each of us may hear with our hearts the cry of the Earth and of the victims of natural disasters and climate change, committing ourselves personally to care for the world we inhabit”. In light of this intention and following the encyclical Laudato si’, I recommend these films for discussion and analysis in our communities.

Home by Yann Arthus-Bertrand (France, 2009, 90 min.)

With amazing images captured from the skies of more than 50 countries, this documentary shows us the diversity of life on earth and how human activities have become a threat to the ecological balance of the environment. This film can help us to become aware of the excessive exploitation of the planet and to think together about a new way of relating to God who looks down on us, to others and to our common home. In the first numbers of his encyclical Pope Francis tells us in this regard: “The destruction of the human environment is something very serious, because God has not only entrusted the world to human beings, but their very life is a gift that must be protected from various forms of degradation. Any attempt to care for and improve the world presupposes profound changes in lifestyles, patterns of production and consumption, and the established power structures that govern society today. Authentic human development has a moral character and presupposes full respect for the human person, but it must also pay attention to the natural world and ‘take into account the nature of each being and their mutual connection in an ordered system’ ” (Laudato si’, 5). Let us pray with the Pope that we commit ourselves to care for the world we inhabit.

WALL-E by Andrew Stanton (U.S., 2008, 98 min.) 

This film is a love story in a devastated world. WALL-E is a robot that was programmed to collect and compact the planet’s garbage. Of the many robots designed for this cleanup mission, WALL-E is the only survivor on earth. This story takes place in two spaces: on the garbage-filled earth where a robot called EVA is sent to see if there are signs of life and in a spaceship called Axiom, where humans survive, which is a kind of Noah’s Ark (cf. Gen 6:9-22) with a lot of technology where humans hope one day to return to earth. Let us look at this film against the background of the story of the creation of man (Adam) and woman (Eve) in Gen 2:1-25 and what Pope Francis tells us in his encyclical: “The urgent challenge of protecting our common home includes the concern to unite the entire human family in the search for sustainable and integral development, for we know that things can change. The Creator does not abandon us, he has never turned back from his loving plan, he does not regret having created us. Humanity still has the capacity to work together to build our common home. […] Young people are calling for change. They wonder how it is possible to pretend to build a better future without thinking about the environmental crisis and the suffering of the excluded” (Laudato si’ n. 13). Let us pray with the Pope that we may responsibly care for our common home.

Sergio Guzmán, S.J.

RMOP-México