Tomás Insua Joins LSRI as New Ecclesial Affiliate

The LSRI is delighted to welcome Tomás Insua to our Affiliate Programme in the capacity of Ecclesial Affiliate, after the recent announcement of his transition leading the Laudato Si’ Movement.

As an Ecclesial Affiliate, Tomás will soon be working on a research project focused on the “Season of Creation”, the ecumenical celebration that takes place annually between September 1 – World Day of Prayer for Creation – and October 4 – Feast of St. Francis. This project stems from his eight years of work as co-founder and Executive Director of the Laudato Si’ Movement, where he led a global network of nearly 1000 Catholic organizations and coordinated their partnerships with the Vatican to advance the integral ecology paradigm within the Church and beyond. Such partnerships have given fruit to initiatives such as the Season of Creation and, more recently, the international screening of the film The Letter: A Message for our Earth , co-produced with Oscar-winning Off The Fence Productions and YouTube Originals.

Tomás plans to pursue further research and collaborative writing on the Season of Creation topic, including its genesis in the Orthodox Church and its potential to deepen both ecumenical communion and the “ecological conversion” of the Christian community. The project will cross-pollinate with Tomás’ second new project, a new Laudato Si’ Center in Assisi, where he will be trying new ways to spread the encyclical’s message of integral ecology.      

The LSRI Affiliate Programme has recently been established for senior academic researchers, graduate students, and leaders from civil society or ecclesial organisations, who seek to develop a project that is aligned with the Institute’s core mission to conduct transdisciplinary research for socio-ecological change.

Tomás comments, “After so many years immersed in the hectic world of activism, I’m thrilled about creating space for more reflection to enhance the action. Research and practice are two sides of the same coin.” He added, “Coming to LSRI is a nice way of going full circle, as my initial three years setting up the LSM secretariat coincided with my three-year sojourn at the Harvard Kennedy School. I’m excited about replicating that fruitful dance between academia and praxis”.

The LSRI looks forward to what promises to be a fruitful partnership with Tomás.

If you are interested in applying for the Affiliate Programme, further information can be found here.