Credit: Mazur/cbcew.org.uk
Pope Leo has called for greater action on climate change, saying there is “no room for indifference or resignation”.
The pontiff spoke out against critics who "ridicule those who speak of global warming". His speech at Castel Gondolfo near Rome was part of an event to mark 10 years since the publication of Laudato Si'. The landmark document on climate, published by Pope Francis in 2015, is credited with helping to encourage leaders working on the Paris climate agreement which was signed later that year.
Pope Leo said:
"Some have chosen to deride the increasingly evident signs of climate change, to ridicule those who speak of global warming, and even to blame the poor for the very thing that affects them the most."
Bishop John Arnold, Catholic lead for the environment, echoed the pontiff’s words:
“Pope Leo XIV yesterday inspired us to work with unity and togetherness on the challenges facing our common home. He reminded us that Pope Francis had emphasised that ‘the most effective solutions will not come from individual efforts alone, but above all from major political decisions on the national and international levels’.
"More than ever, we need to work together, to think of future generations and take urgent action if we are to truly respond to the scale of this climate crisis - a crisis which affects those who are poorest and most vulnerable and have done least to cause it.”
God will ask us if we have cultivated and cared for the world that he created for the benefit of all and for future generations, and if we have taken care of our brothers and sisters - what will be our answer, my dear friends?
The Pope called for increased pressure on politicians, adding that citizens across the world need to take an active role in political decisions, saying "only then will it be possible to mitigate the damage done to the environment".
"God will ask us if we have cultivated and cared for the world that he created for the benefit of all and for future generations, and if we have taken care of our brothers and sisters - what will be our answer, my dear friends?" Pope Leo said.
CAFOD ambassador Adeniké Adelwale led those present in a beautiful and symbolic sung response in Latin, celebrating Laudato Si'. She was joined by the Holy Father and watched by thousands of people online via livestream.
Former California governor and climate campaigner Arnold Schwarzenegger described the Pope as a real world "action hero" for committing to installing solar panels at the Vatican, and encouraged the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics to use their collective power as a force for good.
The Raising Hope conference, organised by the Laudato Sí Movement, comes just ahead of the start of COP30 in Belém, Brazil. World leaders, climate diplomats and other representatives will meet to discuss rising emissions and find ways to address the impacts of climate change.
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In this Jubilee year, the UK must play a key role in pushing rich countries to unlock new sources of public finance for climate action - especially for those countries that are suffering a debt crisis too.