Goodbye Pope Francis🙏 Welcome Pope Leo XIV🙌

The passing of the Pope on Easter Monday, had me read about some of his major (climate) achievements during the 12 years of his papacy.

Back in September of 2024 he famously said “the Earth has a fever” and that “the Earth is sick”. He asked the people if we were listening to the pain.

🌱Pope Francis’ climate action goes back to 2015 where, shortly before the most impactful COP in Paris, he wrote an encyclical (Laudato Si’ – a papal letter sent to all bishops), about the climate crisis to urge everyone to join the climate movement, and that the church sees this as a moral issue, to protect Earth, mother nature, and the people on it.

✏️The Pope’s pledges made me look into faith groups and climate action in general.

This is what I found, in brief:

👍The progress of faith groups on climate

-The grave effects of climate change pose a moral and ethical dilemma to faith groups, because how can God’s creation be cared for in an ecological crisis? (Earth.org)

-In 1985 pope, John Paul II, talked about environmental threats and that the “church’s commitment to the conservation and improvement of our environment is linked to a command of God”

-There are interfaith discussions about climate change and preserving the planet – this has come up a number of times during my research. Cross-group collaboration is very powerful

-Sermons are given about the sanctity of the Earth and some address climate change

-Some faith institutions are lobbying for renewable energy

-Environmental stewardship is becoming a core religious principle

-On a practical level there are now environmental officers at churches to minimise the carbon footprints of these establishments 

👎The problems

-Religious groups didn’t get involved in any climate matters until the 1980s; it was pretty much pope John Paul II who started the public conversation

-A study conducted in the US in 2023/34 revealed that faith leaders accept the urgency of climate change, but almost half don’t preach about it, nor explain people’s role to help (The Conversation)

-Certain faith leaders believed/still believe that nature only exists to serve people

-Negative political influences creates skepticism

-Some believe that climate change is outside of the religious realm

-A number of faith institutions have economic ties to fossil fuel companies 

-Climate events are part of divine will

Faith groups’ influence

🙌Faith institutions are powerful that can hugely influence public awareness, and create a desire to act. They can also mobilise capital and influence politics. Hopefully the progress will continue and the problems will diminish. 

Last year when Pope Leo XIV was a Cardinal, he spoke of moving into real action regarding climate change; encouraging words at least…

Sources: UNFCCC, Earth.org, Vatican News, Pew Research Center, The Conversation, BBC

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