“Laudato Si’,” Pope Francis’ 2015 encyclical letter on climate change, was inspired by the canticle written by his namesake, Saint Francis of Assisi, that “reminds us that our common home is like a sister with whom we share our life and a beautiful mother who opens her arms to embrace us.”

This year, Gannon University embraced the spirit of the encyclical through an ambitious series of events exploring culture and climate change.

The series brought together representatives from various fields and countries to examine, analyze and debate what many people see as the most pressing issue facing mankind today.

The series was created in the momentum generated by the provocative and well-received “Deadly Medicine” exhibit and the campus events that addressed the Holocaust last year.

Those events were not always planned, said Linda Fleming, Ph.D., dean of the College of Humanities, Education and Social Sciences.  “Last fall, faculty were talking about what a great thing it was and how much they wanted to do something like that again.  At the January faculty meeting, we discussed what kind of topics they’d like to see, and climate change stood out.”

Read more in the latest issue of Gannon Magazine.