Pope Leo XIV delivered his first major statement on climate change, condemning those who downplay the “increasingly evident” effects of rising temperatures. He reaffirmed the warnings of his predecessor, Pope Francis, and criticized critics who “ridicule those who speak of global warming.”
Speaking at Castel Gandolfo near Rome, the Pope’s words served as an indirect rebuke of US President Donald Trump, who recently called climate change a “con.” Pope Leo urged citizens worldwide to take urgent action, warning there was no room for indifference or resignation.
A decade after Laudato Si’
The Pope addressed a conference marking ten years since the release of Laudato Si’, a landmark document that made climate a central concern of the Church. Many credit the encyclical with shaping the momentum that led to the Paris climate agreement in 2015.
Pope Leo, elected in May, expressed concern that climate change had become a divisive issue. He cited his predecessor’s writings: “Some have chosen to deride the increasingly evident signs of climate change, ridicule those who speak of global warming, and even blame the poor for the very thing that affects them most.”
Direct challenge to political leaders
Just two weeks ago, US President Donald Trump criticized the climate movement at the UN General Assembly in New York. He called it “the greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world” and rejected renewable energy efforts. Trump said, “The carbon footprint is a hoax made up by people with evil intentions, and they’re heading down a path of total destruction.”
Pope Leo, the first US-born pontiff, has previously clashed with Trump’s administration over migration and national security. In Wednesday’s address, he urged citizens to apply pressure on politicians. He stressed that only through active engagement can society mitigate environmental damage.
Moral responsibility and divine question
The Pope reminded listeners that everyone will face a moral reckoning. “God will ask us if we have cultivated and cared for the world he created for the benefit of all and future generations, and if we have taken care of our brothers and sisters – what will be our answer, my dear friends?” he asked.
The Raising Hope conference took place just over a month before COP30 in Belém, Brazil, where global leaders and climate diplomats will meet. Delegates hope to revive efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, which have stalled on many political agendas.
Brazilian Environment Minister Marina Silva invited Pope Leo to COP30 on behalf of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. She said, “I am convinced in this way His Holiness will make an indispensable contribution so that COP30 may go down in history as the great moment of implementation.”
Former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger also addressed the conference, praising the Pope as a real-world “action hero” for committing to install solar panels on all Vatican buildings.
