Laudato Si’ and Sustainability-based Curriculum Transformation in Higher Education
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract
Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si’ offers an ethical and spiritual framework for responding to the global ecological crisis, which is deeply intertwined with social injustice. This study adopts a qualitative approach and employs thematic analysis, focusing on the theme of sustainability through a literature review method. It analyzes the content of Laudato Si’ and its relevance to curriculum development and higher education courses, particularly in the implementation of the encyclical's values in higher education in Indonesia, in a general and interdisciplinary context. The findings indicate that the spirit of Laudato Si’ can serve as a transdisciplinary foundation and a moral call for higher education to promote a just form of sustainability centered on the common good. By emphasizing the interconnectedness of humans, nature, and vulnerable communities, this study recommends the integration of ecological spirituality across disciplines as a strategic step toward shaping a generation that is morally responsible for the earth as our common home.
Downloads
Article Details
Section
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
How to Cite
References
Beling, A. (2023). The Catholic Church in Times of Ecological Crisis: An “Unusual Suspect” in Advancing the Transition to Sustainability? Religion and Development, 2(1), 103–125. https://doi.org/10.30965/27507955-20230018
Benlaria, H., & Almawishir, N. F. S. (2025). The Impact of Educational Economic Factors on Institutional Sustainability Performance: The Mediating Role of Green Management Practices. Sustainability (Switzerland), 17(3). https://doi.org/10.3390/su17031260
Boustani, N. M. (2025). Integrating Catholic Teachings into Education: Promoting Sustainable Practices Through Laudato Si’ in Lebanon. Religions, 16(3). https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16030390
Francis, P. (2015). Laudato Si’: On Care for Our Common Home. Ideals and Ideologies: A Reader, Eleventh Edition, 2015, 503–510. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429286827-79
Giannetti, B. F., Alves-Pinto Junior, M. J., Chirinos-Marroquín, M., Velazquez, L., Munguia, N., Agostinho, F., Almeida, C. M. V. B., Lombardi, G., & Liu, G. (2025). Sustainability in Universities: The Triad of Ecological Footprint, Happiness, and Academic Performance Among Brazilian and International Students. Sustainability (Switzerland), 17(3), 1–25. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17030950
Glavas, D., Grolleau, G., & Mzoughi, N. (2023). Greening the greenwashers – How to push greenwashers towards more sustainable trajectories. Journal of Cleaner Production, 382, 135301. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.135301
Gozum, I. E. A., Jr, A. E. G., & Nucum, J. L. A. M. (2022). Laudato si and the Role of the Church in Promoting Environmental Awareness Toward a Better Health‑Related Quality of Life. The United Nations Global Compact and the Encyclical Laudato Si, 33–36. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003423669-6
Grano, C., Correia, V., & Santana, J. (2023). Commitment of Brazilian Public Universities to the Sustainable Development Goals (pp. 299–320). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-04560-8_83
Hitzhusen, G. E. (2007). Judeo‑Christian theology and the environment: moving beyond scepticism to new sources for environmental education in the United States. Environmental Education Research, 13(1), 55–74. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504620601122699
Khachatryan, K., & Hakobjanyan, A. (2023). Development of university – industry partnership in Armenia : university perspective. 21. https://doi.org/10.1108/JIEB-07-2023-0051
Kuhn, H. (2020). Reducing Inequality Within and Among Countries: Realizing SDG 10—A Developmental Perspective. 137–153. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-30469-0_8
Kureethadam, J. I. (2014). Cry of the earth, of the poor, and of the spirit. Physical, ethical, and spiritual dimensions of the ecological crisis. Studia Ecologiae et Bioethicae, 12(4), 9–30. https://doi.org/10.21697/seb.2014.12.4.01
Kurt, G., & Akdur, R. (2024). Under What Conditions Does Climate Change Worry Contribute to Climate Action in Turkey: What Moderates This Relationship? Sustainability (Switzerland) , 16(6), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16062269
Landrigan, P. J., Rémond, J., Gomarasca, P., Chiles, T. C., Whitman, E. M., & Ferrer, L. (2024). Laudato Si’ and the emerging contribution of Catholic research universities to planetary health. The Lancet Planetary Health, 8(3), e140 e141. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2542-5196(24)00012-3
Leal Filho, W., Lovren, V. O., Will, M., Salvia, A. L., & Frankenberger, F. (2021). Poverty: A central barrier to the implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Environmental Science and Policy, 125(April), 96–104. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2021.08.020
Lee, Y. (2025). Integrating Circular Economy and Laudato Si ’ : A Christian Framework for Sustainable Development and Environmental Stewardship
Lozano, R., Lukman, R., Lozano, F. J., Huisingh, D., & Lambrechts, W. (2013). Declarations for sustainability in higher education: becoming better leaders, through addressing the university system. Journal of Cleaner Production, 48, 10–19. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2011.10.006
McDonagh, S. (2016). The greening of the Church. Geoffrey Chapman.
O’neill, K., & Sinden, C. (2021). Universities, sustainability, and neoliberalism: Contradictions of the climate emergency declarations. Politics and Governance, 9(2), 29–40. https://doi.org/10.17645/pag.v9i2.3872
OECD. (2021). OECD Economic Outlook (Issue May). https://www.oecd.org/content/dam/oecd/en/about/programmes/grc/grc-see/integrity/Policy-Briefing-Note-on-Whisteblower-Protectionvs.pdf
Palos Rey, L., & Diez Bosch, M. (2024). Catholic Ecology Mindset amongst Youth: Laudato Si’ and Laudate Deum’s Impact in Higher Education. Religions, 15(9). https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15091073
Pertuz, V., Miranda, L. F., Charris-fontanilla, A., Pertuz-peralta, L., & Marta, S. (2021). http://jssidoi.org/esc/home. 8(3), 280–291.
Purnomo, A. B. A. (2022). The Importance of Ecological Conversion for the Care of the Earth and Human Health in the Encyclical Laudato Si’. Dialogo, 8(2), 132–139. https://doi.org/10.51917/dialogo.2022.8.2.10
Sánchez-Camacho, J., & Moreno, J. L. V. (2024). Foundations and Implications of the Integral Ecology and Sustainable Development Goals in Catholic University Education.
Tasdemir, C., & Gazo, R. (2020). Integrating sustainability into higher education curriculum through a transdisciplinary perspective. Journal of Cleaner Production, 265, 121759. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.121759
Tseng, F.-C., Huang, M.-H., & Chen, D.-Z. (2020). Factors of university–industry collaboration affecting university innovation performance. The Journal of Technology Transfer, 45(2), 560–577. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10961-018-9656-6
UNESCO. (2020). Education for sustainable development: a roadmap. UNESCO. https://doi.org/10.54675/YFRE1448
White Jr., L. (1967). The Historical Roots of Our Ecologic Crisis. Science, 155(3767), 1203–1207. http://www.earth.illinois.edu/students/courses/readings/Readings_session_8.pdf
Zagonari, F. (2020). Comparing Religious Environmental Ethics to Support Efforts to Achieve Local and Global Sustainability: Empirical Insights Based on a Theoretical Framework. In Sustainability (Switzerland) (Vol. 12, Issue 7). https://doi.org/10.3390/su12072590