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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-dottsoc_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. 38
