Pope Leo XIV on COP30: “As stewards of God’s creation, we are called to act swiftly”

Pope Leo has addressed the bishops and cardinals of the Global South participating in COP30.

In a video message, His Holiness urged for swift action:

“The Creation is crying out in floods, droughts, storms and relentless heat. One in three people live in great vulnerability because of these climate changes. To them climate change is not a distant threat, and to ignore these people is to deny our shared humanity.

“There is still time to keep the rise in global temperatures below 1.5 degrees Celsius, but the window is closing. As stewards of God’s creation, we are called to act swiftly, with faith and prophecy, to protect the gift He entrusted to us.”

Catholic organisations across the world have echoed these sentiments. Damiana Lanusse, of Caritas Latin America and the Caribbean, said:

“Our Beloved Amazon is our hope – it is the lungs of the earth and for Latin Americans this COP carries an enormous symbolic meaning. It is the chance for our people to be seen and to be heard, and also to remind other regions of the world that climate justice is not only about negotiations but about life’s territories and cultures that are under threat.

"These communities don’t have the means to adapt to climate change and suddenly from one day to another they find themselves in real trouble and governments are not doing their job in terms of protecting the rights and distributing the resources in a fair way.

Liz Cronin, CAFOD Climate Policy Lead, said:

“COP30 is nearing its final week crunch point. Politicians are now returning to Brazil to thrash out the compromises and deals that are needed to get final agreements over the line.

In this all-important Jubilee Year, we need Global North leaders to show courage, and prove multilateralism is alive and well. They must unlock the grant-based, accessible finance that will address both the climate and debt crises in developing countries.”