If we have to look for the keys to the Pope's new encyclical, I think that one of the most important can be summed up in these words: There is no ecology without an adequate anthropology (n. 118). We will not succeed in solving ecological problems if we do not first change the concept we have of ourselves.

Modern thought has convinced us that man is the center of the world (anthropocentrism), the god, the absolute lord and master of nature, which he confronts as if it were something report and totally available for his manipulation. Man considers himself the measure of all things: it is he who gives them their value, which consists, above all, in economic utility.

Today's anthropocentrism is undoubtedly sensitive to ecological problems, but it maintains that the solution lies mainly in the application of scientific, technical and legal measures, without it being necessary for man to change his conception of himself.

As a reaction to anthropocentrism, a vast ecological movement arose in the 20th century that displaced the person from the center of the world and replaced him or her with other species (biocentrism) or with nature as a whole (ecocentrism). From the divinization of man we move to the divinization of the world.

Throughout the encyclical, the Pope points out in various ways an essential condition for solving environmental problems: that human beings must be put in their place. The best way to put human beings in their place, and to put an end to their pretension of being absolute dominators of the earth, is to propose once again the figure of a Father creator and sole owner of the world, because otherwise human beings will always tend to want to impose their own laws and interests on reality (75).

Man's relationship with the earth depends on man's relationship with God. Man is not just another element of the cosmos, but neither is he the absolute owner of the earth; therefore, he cannot treat it despotically, nor exploit it exclusively for the immediate profit of a few, without worrying about the harmful consequences of his conduct.

Man's place is that of a son who receives the earth as a gift from his Father: the whole material universe is a language of God's love, of his immeasurable affection for us (84). This vision of the world as the fruit of God's love is the only one that can lead us to change the logic of selfishness for the logic of love, of fraternity, of solidarity with all, especially with the poorest, and with future generations.

Man is not an absolute, he is not therefore the creator of truth. The great temptation, the primordial temptation, is to want to be creators of good and evil. And this is precisely the root of practical relativism, which Pope Francis warns against very clearly in his encyclical. Relativism implies a logic that leads human beings to put themselves at the center, and ends up giving absolute priority to their contingent interests. Once again, to put an end to this logic, man must put himself in his place and admit that he is not the center, he is not God, but the son of God, the brother of other men.

Laudato si' is a cry of hope. Anthropocentrism maintains an attitude of naive optimism, while everything is collapsing around it. Biocentrism is profoundly pessimistic about man, whom it considers the great enemy of nature. Pope Francis speaks neither of optimism nor of pessimism, but of hope. All is not lost, because human beings, capable of degrading themselves to the extreme, can also overcome, opt again for the good and regenerate themselves, beyond all the mental and social conditioning imposed on them. They are capable of taking an honest look at themselves, of bringing to light their own boredom and of setting out on new paths towards true freedom. (205). But this hope is founded on God: There are no systems that completely annul the openness to goodness, truth and beauty, nor the capacity for reaction that God continues to encourage from the depths of human hearts (205).

Laudato si'. The hymn of St. Francis that gives its name to the second encyclical of Pope Francis is undoubtedly a hymn to creatures, but it is above all a hymn of thanksgiving to God: Praise be to you, my Lord, in all your creatures. This is the core topic to truly value nature and responsibly care for the environment: to recognize God as Creator and Father of all men.