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In the Wake of Laudato si’. Embracing Limits – “Food and Its Waste”

In the Wake of Laudato si’. Embracing Limits – “Food and Its Waste”

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Monday, February 9, 2026
On Friday, 6th February, the first evening of the new series In the Wake of Laudato si’ took place in Padua at the Comboni Missionaries’ house, under the title Embracing Limits. This is the third series (we are in the third year of the programme In the Wake of Laudato si’), which began with reflections on the necessary changes to conceive a new form of well-being and now points to a possible path through the acceptance of limits, which are structurally inherent to the human person and to creation.

The meeting (three more will follow – see below) addressed the theme “Food and Its Waste in the Era of Climate Change”. Three reflections were presented during the evening. Davide Pettenella (Professor at the University of Padua and member of the Scientific Committee of the Lanza Foundation) spoke on Food Production, Logistics and Consumption: Waste and Best Practices. Massimiliano Monterosso, coordinator of the the project Re.T.E. Solid.A [Relations, Territory, Economy, Solidarity, Environment – in Italian: Relazioni Territorio Economia Solidarietà Ambiente]-Padua, spoke of Creating and Supporting Circuits for the Recovery and Reuse of Surplus Food. Finally, Francesca Marin (Professor at the University of Padua and coordinator of the Ethics, Theology and Philosophy project of the Lanza Foundation) concluded with a talk on Limiting Waste as an Act of Care and an Ethical Matter.

A large audience followed the qualified and appreciated contributions of the three speakers with great attention. The source of inspiration for the series is Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato si’ (published on 24th May 2015), both for the overarching theme – Embracing Limits – and for the specific theme of the evening – Food, in particular §20 (waste and the value of food), §§129-131 (land, work and biodiversity), and §156 (quality of life and proper nutrition).

Another inspiring phrase from Pope Francis also guided the evening, spoken in his video message to 500 national and international representatives during the meeting The Ideas of Expo 2015 – Towards the Milan Charter, on 7th February 2015: “There is enough food for everyone, but not everyone can eat […]. Therefore, if we truly want to solve problems and not get lost in sophisms, we must tackle the root of all evils, which is inequity […]. To do this, some priority choices must be made: renounce the absolute autonomy of markets and financial speculation and act first on the structural causes of inequity” – an effective neologism [inequity = “unjust inequality”] coined by Francis to describe the root of misery in an economy that kills and has killed many people.

It is, therefore, necessary to “embrace limits”, if one wishes to strive for just equality even in the production, management, consumption, and waste of food.

Programme of Upcoming Meetings

  • Friday, 20 March 2026 – 18:00
    Effects of climate change on water resources: how to protect them and ourselves
  • Friday, 17 April 2026 – 18:00
    Energy consumption and climate. The impact of digital technology
  • Friday, 22 May 2026 – 18:00
    Care of the person and safeguarding the environment from a One Health perspective

(Father Gaetano Montresor, MCCJ, and Colibrì – I Do My Part)