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1. INTRODUCTION
we cannot refuse to interest ourselves in those who will come after us, to
enlarge the human family. This is a responsibility that present generations
have towards those of the future, a responsibility that also concerns
individual States and the international community.”
The roots of concern for future generations can be traced to earlier encyclicals
like Rerum Novarum (1891),*’ which addressed social justice, and Centesimus
Annus (1991),*8 which emphasized the responsible use of resources to ensure
their availability for future generations. These documents laid the groundwork
for viewing humanity’s duties as extending beyond the present.
In Caritas in Veritate (2009) Pope Benedict XVI explicitly linked
environmental stewardship to the common good, stating that the environment
is a gift from God that must be preserved for future generations. He emphasized
solidarity” and intergenerational justice, moving away from anthropocentric
notions of dominating nature toward a responsibility to protect it for both
the poor and future generations. ”"
In Laudato Si’ (2015) Pope Francis’ encyclical marked a pivotal moment,
being the first to focus explicitly on ecology and integral human development.
It underscores the moral imperative to care for our “common home” for the
sake of future generations, critiquing consumerism and the “throwaway
culture” that depletes resources and harms the planet. Francis calls for an
“integral ecology” that integrates environmental, social, and ethical
considerations, emphasizing that current actions directly affect the well-being
of future generations. The encyclical highlights the urgency of addressing
climate change and biodiversity loss, framing them as moral issues that demand
global action to prevent leaving “rubble, deserts, and refuse” for those to come.
® Paul VI, Populorum Progressio, 266.
8° Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church
(Vatican City: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2004), para. 467, https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/
pontifical_councils/justpeace/documents/rc_pc_justpeace_doc_20060526_compendio-dott¬
soc_en.html.
87 Pope Leo XIII, Rerum Novarum. 15.5.
88 Pope John Paul II, Centesimus Annus (encyclical, 1 May 1991), Acta Apostolicae Sedis 83, no.
10 (1991): 793-867.
Pope Benedict XVI, Caritas in Veritate (encyclical, 29 June 2009), Acta Apostolicae Sedis 101
(2009): 641-709, https://www.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/encyclicals/documents/
hf_ben-xvi_enc_20090629_caritas-in-veritate.html.
9 See, Lóránd Ujhäzi and Andräs Jancsö, “From the Labor Question to the Murderous
Economy: Catholic Approach to Economic Policy,” Religions 16, no. 2 (2025): 248, § 48,
https://doi.org/10.3390/rel1 6020248.
1 Pope Benedict XVI, Caritas in Veritate, 641-709.
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