Resisting a Throwaway Culture: Protecting Life and Creation

Pope Francis has asked the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington to bring together young people of different faiths to reflect on the call to build a culture of encounter, friendship, and solidarity in our own lives, communities, and world that he offered in his powerful encyclical letter, Fratelli Tutti. The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington and the Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life at Georgetown University are responding to the Holy Father’s request with Pope Francis, Young People, and Solidarity: Dialogues on Fratelli Tutti, three unique dialogues on the call of Fratelli Tutti to young people of all faiths in our wounded Church and broken world on October 7, November 4, and December 2. This second virtual gathering of young people on Thursday, November 4 will examine Pope Francis’ call to reject a throwaway culture, where “persons are no longer seen as a paramount value to be cared for and respected,” but instead to recognize each person’s inherent dignity and to remember that together we must “care for our common home” amid a pandemic, economic inequality, and polarization in the Church, in the United States, and around the world.

Participants

• Charles Camosy is an associate professor of theological and social ethics at Fordham University and is author of several books, including Resisting Throwaway Culture: How a Consistent Life Ethic Can Unite a Fractured People (2019).
• Rabbi Shoshana Friedman is a writer, mother, climate activist, and rabbinic ambassador for Dayenu, a multi-generational Jewish movement that confronts the climate crisis with spiritual audacity and bold political action.
• Shideya Parrilla is a Catholic campus minister at American University in Washington, DC, and an advocate for human life and dignity, including issues like abortion and racism.
• Teresa Tsosie is a member of the Navajo Nation and is the religious education director for St. Jude Catholic Parish in Tuba City, Arizona. She was a speaker at the 2021 “Laudato Si’ and the U.S. Catholic Church” conference hosted by Catholic Climate Covenant.
• Bishop Joseph Tyson is the bishop of Yakima, Washington. He is the episcopal liaison for Catholic Climate Covenant and is the chair of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ subcommittee on Pastoral Care for Migrants, Refugees and Travelers.

Molly Herrera, program director of Campus and Young Adult Ministry at The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington, will moderate the conversation. There will be time for questions and conversation among these leaders and viewers of this dialogue. This dialogue is an extension of the Theology on Tap programs of The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington and the Salt and Light and Latino Leader Gatherings of the Initiative. The Archdiocese and Initiative are grateful to Scholas Occurrentes for their partnership with this gathering. All who have RSVP’d will receive an email with instructions on how to join the livestream. This dialogue will be live-captioned. Accommodation requests should be sent to cathsocialthought@georgetown.edu by November 3. A good-faith effort will be made to fulfill requests. Photo by Grzegorz Galazka/Archivio Grzegorz Galazka/Mondadori via Getty Images