The Canticle of the creatures and sustainability: Listening to the cry of the Earth

Martín Carbajo-Núñez


Pontifical University Antonianum, Rome, Italy (Italy)
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2814-5688

Abstract

Recognizing that “everything is interconnected,” this article explores the ecological challenges posed by the current economic system, which prioritizes material growth and fuels relentless consumerism. Rather than addresing genuine human needs—which are naturally limited—it stimulates unlimited desires, endangering the sustainability of the global ecosystem and amplifying the cry of the earth (Part 1). The Human being is portrayed as an insatiable consumer, locked in constant conflict with the world around him (Part 2). To overcome this cycle of struggle and self-destruction, we must foster a new relational paradigm inspired by Francis of Assisi and his Canticle of the Creatures (Part 3).


Keywords:

Canticle of Creatures, Francis of Assisi, Sustanability, Ecocentric economy, Integral ecology

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Published
2025-08-14

Cited by

Carbajo-Núñez, M. (2025). The Canticle of the creatures and sustainability: Listening to the cry of the Earth. Warsaw Theological Studies, 38(1), 6–26. https://doi.org/10.30439/WST.2025.1.1

Authors

Martín Carbajo-Núñez 

Pontifical University Antonianum, Rome, Italy Italy
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2814-5688

Prof. dr. Martín Cabajo-Núñez OFM - born in Zamora, Spain, Martín Carbajo Núñez, OFM has lived in Rome since 1995, where he currently teaches ethics and communication at two universities: the Antonianum (Pontifical University Antonianum or PUA) and the Alfonsianum (Pontifical Lateran University or PUL). At the PUA, he has served as Vice-Rector and Rector Magnificus ad interim for three years. He also teaches regularly in Spain and the USA. Professor Carbajo studies the relevance of the Franciscan Intellectual Tradition in formulating a global ethic and facing the challenges of the new digital age. He also studies journalistic deontology in regard to informational privacy, e-mail: mcarbajon@gmail.com.



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