Intertwined Vulnerabilities: a Comparative Analysis of Climate Change, Gender Inequalities, and the Search for Holistic Ecology in the Laudato Sì Movement

The "Laudato sì Movement" is a transformative social movement, inspired by the profound ethos articulated in Pope Francis's 2015 first encyclical focused on environmental care. This movement transcends the mere environmental activism, embodying a paradigm shift towards holistic ecology, a concept that interweaves ecological awareness with social justice: distinctively global in reach, simultaneously spiritual and political, thereby uniting activists across the globe in a shared mission (Lan T. Chu, 2022). Central to this movement is the Laudato sì Initiatives Platform (PILs) that functions as more than a virtual space for dialogue and coordination. It represents a movement's operative dimension, fostering a global community of practice, where the shared values of responsibility, solidarity, and mutual care translate into tangible actions (McCallum M., 2019) underlining an egalitarian ethos combined with an emphasis on individual commitment that fuels a particular focus on gender perspectives. Starting from the Laudato sì assumptions, this work examines the intersectionality of vulnerability (Ammirati A., 2016) in the context of climate change and gender inequalities through a theorical deep-dive into the Laudato si' holistic ecology crossed with Alaine Touraine's perspective on the “fourth wave” of feminism (Le monde des Femmes, 2006). This challenging analytical exploration proposes a comparative analysis that see the ecological crisis through the lens of vulnerable subjects (Touraine A. 1997) highlighting the intersectionality at the core of this relation. In this way, it will be possible to unveil convergences and resonances with feminist perspective within the seven goals of cultural change outlined by Laudato Si'. Comparing them with perspectives on mobilization and everyday change shared on the PILs it will be possible to go beyond the perspective of ecofeminism (Mies, Shiva, 2014) and its nuances (Bohrer A. J. 2019). This work wants to clarify possible participatory dynamics of grassroots collective action involving vulnerable subjects highlighting the shared challenges and necessary categories of action for a transformation towards a more equitable and sustainable society.