The name of the next apostolic exhortation will be Laudate Deum - "Praise God," Pope Francis revealed during an audience with Latin American university rectors on Thursday, as Vatican News noted this September 25, 2023. To be published October 4, this exhortation is a sequel to the 2015 encyclical Laudato si', on safeguarding the earth as our common home.
On August 21, Pope Francis announced that he was writing a "second part" to the encyclical., specifying that it would be an update taking into account "current problems".
Now, speaking to rectors of Latin American universities, the Pope gave the name of the text to be published on the feast of St. Francis of Assisi: Laudate Deum.
Traditionally, the names of pontifical texts are taken from the first words of the Latin version of the text. The encyclical Laudato si' departed from this tradition, beginning with the words of a prayer by St. Francis in Italian.
The publication of this "sequel" to Laudato si' comes just under two months before COP28 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. This country has established itself as a partner of the Holy See on the diplomatic scene since 2019 and the signing of the Document on Human Fraternity by Pope Francis and the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Ahmed el-Tayyeb.
