Panel: HOW INTEGRAL ECOLOGY AS A PARADIGM IS RESHAPING INDIVIDUALS' BEHAVIOURS, ORGANIZATIONS, AND SOCIETIES



1249_2.8 - SENSING THE EARTH: ECOLOGICAL CONVERSION AND INTEGRAL ECOLOGY IN CATHOLIC THOUGHT

AUTHORS:
Butticci A. (Georgetown University ~ Washington, DC ~ United States of America)
Text:
This paper examines the role of the senses and aesthetic experience in Catholic ecological thought through the concept of ecological conversion articulated in Laudato Si'. I argue that the encyclical's vision of integral ecology involves not only moral and intellectual transformation but also a reorientation of the human sensorium toward the natural world. Ecological responsibility, in this perspective, emerges from renewed sensorial attentiveness to the interconnectedness of humans, animals, and ecosystems. The paper analyzes the Vatican multimedia installation Fiat Lux: Illuminating Our Common Home as a striking example of this aesthetic dimension of ecological conversion. By projecting monumental images of animals, landscapes, and vulnerable communities onto the façade of St. Peter's Basilica, the installation created a multisensory encounter that temporarily disrupted anthropocentric modes of perception and invited viewers to experience the Earth as a shared home. Through this case, the paper shows how Catholic ecological thought mobilizes aesthetic and sensorial practices to cultivate dispositions of awe, humility, and care. In doing so, it contributes to broader conversations in environmental ethics about the role of embodied perception and moral imagination in shaping ecological responsibility.