- Pope Leo XIV stressed the Church must move from words to action
- He praised the Vatican for its efforts to reduce its carbon footprint
- Environmentalists and climate leaders support the election of Pope Leo XIV
Pope Leo XIV has called for urgent action on climate change, stressing the Church must move “from words to action”, the College of Cardinals Report has said.
In one of his first public statements, Leo XIV has also warned against the “harmful” consequences of unchecked technological development and advocated for a reciprocal, non-tyrannical relationship with the environment, adding that he aligns closely with Pope Francis’ environmental priorities.
Efforts by the Vatican to reduce its carbon footprint by installing solar panels and switching to electric vehicles (EV) were praised by Leo XIV.
Environmentalists and climate leaders supported the election of Leo XIV, as they expect he will continue the environmental legacy left by Pop Francis, whom Leo XIV served as a senior adviser.
CEO of the 2025 United Nations Climate Change Conference, Ana Toni, said she hopes Leo XIV will use his voice to expand Catholic efforts worldwide to mitigate global warming.
She told ABC News that she hoped Leo XIV would be the “inspirational leader for the peace and solidarity we need in these troubled times,” and “expand the Catholic Church’s efforts to address the climate crisis”.
Toni said that this would involve “energising followers, governments, and leaders around the world to unite and protect life”.
Leo XIV’s predecessor, Pope Francis, was the first in history to take a public stance on combatting climate change. During his inaugural Mass in St.Peter’s Square days before being elected pope in 2013, Francis emphasised the need for all people on Earth to “assume the role of protector of the environment”.
What have previous leaders said about climate change?
In 2024, several Cardinals and representatives from Cuba, Bolivia and Venezuela and the Holy See, came together to discuss the global impacts of the “ongoing environmental crisis”.
Before he became Pope, Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, who was then president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America and prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, stressed at the time that the need for the Catholic Church’s involvement in the climate fight is based on the Social Doctrine of the Church – a framework of social teachings. But Leo XIV said humans must engage in a “relationship of reciprocity” with the environmental, rather than “tyrannical”.
Within the discussion, Cardinal Peter Appiah Turkson, chancellor of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, emphasised humanity’s responsibility to care for the environment, stating that “the most affected by climate change are the most vulnerable. The way the environment has been treated is a tragic and glaring example of structural sin.”
At the time, a core focus was the floods in Brazil. Emilce Cuda, secretary of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, said they had “swept away entire communities” and she called on Latin America to focus on agendas similar to Pope Francis.
The future role of the Vatican to tackle climate change
Numerous organisations are working to implement the principles of Laudato si’ to support the most vulnerable amid the climate crisis.
At last year’s COP29 meeting, Pedro Luis Pedroso Cuesta, deputy director general for multilateral affairs and international law at Cuba’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, called its response to the climate crisis “fragmented” and inadequate, as no “financial milestone” was outlined to offer aid to developing countries.
Leo XIV’s theology towards climate change is also focused on the poor and marginalised, following Pope Francis’ priorities. In addition to the aforementioned, he has been critical on social media of hard immigration policies.
