Wisdom from the Past and Present

The wisdom and insights on the care of natural creation by a twelfth century medieval woman Hildegard of Bingen together with the twenty first teachings of Pope Francis on the problem of the current global ecological crisis are highlighted in this book. The German prophetic visionary Hildegard of Bingen’s originally preserved writings and art works that describe, analyze and interpret her extraordinary visions have been revived, researched and written about in recent years. Hildegard, who was a forgotten figure for approximately nine hundred years has been brought to the fore in recent years largely as a result of her being declared a doctor of the Church in Rome by Pope Benedict XVI in 2012. This book explores Hildegard’s closeness and understanding of natural creation from Christian theological and spiritual perspectives in the light of Pope Francis’ contemporary encyclical Laudato Si’. Both authors, within their own contexts, describe the disastrous consequences of humanity's destructive behavior towards natural creation. Suggestions from moral, theological and spiritual perspectives on how to develop an integral ecology are outlined by Hildgard and by Francis in Laudato Si'.