Abstract

The first social Encyclical Letter by Pope Francis relies upon the unshakable intertwining between natural and human ecologies, namely upon the binding between the exploitation of natural resources and the injustice of human relationships. In this paper the authors cast a light on the role of ecology of communication and media that one can detect within the Encyclical. They consider the ecology of communication as a third pillar of the «integral ecology» which the Pope recalls. «Care» for natural environment and for human beings expresses itself also in the construction and in the defense of a free and open communication environment. Such an environment encourages comprehension instead of distraction, mutual understanding among people instead of conflict, dialogue instead of social isolation. The paper analyzes these topics of Laudato si' by putting them in relationship with some of the more advanced sociological theories about the evolution of media environment after Internet and ICT advent.