About The Institute for Human Ecology. In response to Pope Francis’s plea in Laudato Sí for an “ecological conversion” for the faithful, and the development of a properly human ecology, the Institute for Human Ecology at The Catholic University of America seeks to promote an integrated understanding of human beings in their relationships with one another, with society, and with the natural world in the light of both reason and faith. The institute is dedicated to rigorous multi-disciplinary academic research and public outreach at the intersection of Catholic social teaching, environmental stewardship, and economic development.
The institute will sponsor and organize research, analyze public policy, publish national studies, work closely with lawmakers, policymakers and Church leaders, train and promote its own cadre of students and young researchers, and offer symposia, conferences, debates, and lectures for academia and the public square.
The Catholic Church brings a distinct perspective to the discussion of environmental and economic questions. This contribution calls us to care for creation and for “the least of these.” (Mt 25:40). Inspired by biblical revelation and natural law, the “Catholic way” is ultimately rooted in a profound sense of human ecology that understands nature as a creation and that does not divorce the well-being of creation from that of human beings.
