A Letter, concerning “The Letter” – A must-see during the 2023 Season of Creation

Good friends,

Greetings from the fire-ravaged BC interior, and the unceded land of the original people of the Okanagan, the Syilx.

Some of you are part of the Johnson book project (now at the publisher copy-editing stage!); others are local St. Stephen’s Summerland leaders. Some are members of the Social and Ecological Justice working group of the Anglican Ecclesiastical Province of BC/Yukon. Many are reading this note on my blog <Take-Note-Ken-Gray>. Others have received my invitation through email. Regardless of how you find yourself here, simply put, I encourage you to watch “The Letter.”

The one hour and twenty-two minute documentary film provides environmental illustration context to Laudato si’, an encyclical letter released by Pope Francis on 24 May, 2015.The movie continues where the letter left off. It tells the story of a recent gathering in Rome where Indigenous and non-Indigenous leaders from many corners of the world met with Pope Francis to respond to Laudato si’.

The film is one of the finest witnesses to the climate crisis I have ever seen. Beautifully and brilliantly rendered, it connects climate change with human migration in Africa, specifically Senegal; it explains the influence of unsustainable agriculture with deforestation in Brazil; it documents the murder of Amazonian  activists; it tells the story of Australian bush fires along with stories of flooding in India; we are shown coral reef loss around Hawaii. Stories are presented in original languages with continuous translation.

The Pope himself reads from the text of Laudato si’. Youth have a special place throughout the film. Spectacular photography and an effective soundtrack accompany the presentation throughout.

A Scottish activist reminds us: “We need the stories, the narrative, that faith brings, in order to take action [. . .] The theology of Laudato si’ calls us into a deeper relationship with the natural world.” The Letter connects the mystical tradition of St. Francis with the hard science of our day. It is beautiful to see conference members stroll through the medieval town of Assisi as they consider  the wisdom of the revolutionary saint with today’s environmentally destructive practices and outcomes. There is a sweet exchange between the Pope and conference members who bring gifts from home to the See of Peter and his successors.

In a communicative twist, church bells toll, as youth share with each other by text and video the experience of African refugees crossing the Mediterranean Ocean. At one point a refugee describes his journey saying, “My best friend and I lost each other.” Of the forced migration, another says, “Once you know you cannot look away; The pain of one is the pain of all.”

I mentioned music above. Well near the end of the film there’s a lovely ditty worth learning and -singing.

So half of life is gone for good
And we haven’t acted as we should
You feel it in your heart of wood
That this is far from over

Shoreline’s gone and maps destroyed
Livelihoods dissolved and void
Entire languages unheard
And still it’s far from over

Those who say, “it’s already too late.” We’re @#$%ed. Well, it’s far from over. To those who say the struggle is too difficult; nothing can change; someone else do something, please. Well, still it’s far from over; Join the merry band.  Refuse to buy into the ”tower of human arrogance.” Find a “transcendent reason to care for creation [. . .] Bring back the sacred.”

The film sets the stage for the Pope’s next letter, expected in the next few months, a sequel focusing on the increase and severity of extreme weather events.” Remember, it’s far from over. One participant acknowledges that this meeting with the Pope has “re-defined  my career, for the rest of m  y life.” Speaking personally, and through a similar experience, this was my discovery  during the summer of 2001.

I strongly encourage everyone to find a time to watch “The Letter.” Better still, . sometime between Sept 1 an Oct 4 (St. Francis Day) schedule a group viewing, in your home, in your faith community, or local service club. Right now in the BC interior we are surrounded by fire and smoke. Let’s surround ourselves with love and compassion, for all creation.

The Pope speaks to the world . . . and so can we.

Ken Gray