It is always disappointing when exciting plans must be canceled at the last minute, especially due to health concerns. But that is exactly what happened during the first week of December 2023, when, out of an abundance of caution relating to the condition of his fragile lungs, Pope Francis was forced to cancel his scheduled appearance at the latest United Nations Climate Change Conference (or COP 28) in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. Many have lamented to the distressing forfeiture of this lost opportunity for a premier leader in global climate change awareness and activism to take to this particular stage (as no pope has ever done) to address the delegates gathered from around the world, and thus to share reflections and further calls to action regarding environmental responsibility.
In the end, Pope Francis did compose and send a brief (ten-paragraph) statement to the conference that was read aloud on his behalf to the assembly on December 2, 2023 (see the full text on the Vatican website). It was inspiring enough in tone and content that many were moved to look on the bright side; if health concerns prevented Francis from delivering these remarks in person, the transmission of this message at least accomplished some of his goals in signaling his continued support to struggle against global warming, such as bolstering efforts to reduce carbon emissions. The occasion also gives Roman Catholics an opportunity to reflect on the path along which Francis has already led us, as he exercises his moral leadership on this issue—perhaps the most pressing of all the global crises (such as the crisis of refugees and recurring threats to peace) that we currently face. As a theologian, here is my best summary of what Francis has contributed to the blossoming of ecological awareness in our Church in the past decade.
Francis gained his reputation as a foremost environmentalist among contemporary religious leaders, of course, with the June 2015 publication of his teaching document Laudato Si’: On Care for Our Common Home. That highly authoritative and influential encyclical letter was most forthright in identifying anthropogenic climate change as the existential issue of our time, in marshaling scientific evidence to refute climate change denialism, and in challenging his entire audience (Catholics and all others alike) to think and act differently based on our common awareness of this grave threat. In 40,000 words that combine careful theological analysis and genuine spiritual inspiration, Francis breaks much new ground in Catholic teachings on the natural environment. By way of example, for the first time ever, we hear a pope affirming a universal human right to potable fresh water. Francis also develops the theme of an “intergenerational solidarity” that issues forth in obligations to preserve biodiversity, promote sustainability, and prevent natural resource depletion. It is the solemn duty of all to preserve environmental integrity for the good of future generations of humans and all other species.
Even more fundamentally, Francis presents an overarching vision of an “integral ecology” which prompts us to see the connections between the ecological crisis and a range of social crises. These include escalating economic inequality, endemic military conflict, and an unprecedented increase in “people on the move,” forcibly displaced from their homelands—tens of millions of whom are climate change refugees. As Francis recognizes a dozen times in the course of his 2015 encyclical on the environment, “everything is connected.” None of these crises can be solved in isolation; rather, each calls us to adopt a holistic approach and a commitment to invest in a better future for all. Francis focuses not on narrow technical solutions or quick fixes to forestall global warming, but on the level of culture, moral formation, and even spirituality. The “ecological conversion” he proposes necessitates putting aside habitual human myopia and selfish disregard for the long-term consequences of our profligate ways. We urgently need to reverse the forces that have led us to under-prioritize care for creation and to find ways to cooperate to, literally, save the world.
Observers of religion down through the centuries may easily situate this prophetic stance of Pope Francis on the environment within the customary repertoire of moral leadership. Like all effective prophets eager to live out their mission of denouncing wrongdoing and calling for social reform, the pope has long been issuing urgent warnings regarding the need for effective ecological change, while still holding out hope that improvement remains possible. His refusal to signal despair in the face of these dire challenges is reflected in his recent follow-up document Laudate Deum (or “Praise God,” available at the Vatican website). This apostolic exhortation (published on October 4, 2023) reinforces and extends the arguments of Laudato Si’, doubling down on the notes of urgency issued eight years earlier. Though gravely lamenting that humanity’s response to the climate crisis continues to be far too weak and half-hearted, Francis nowhere gives in to despair, even while warning that we are rapidly approaching an ominous breaking point. Carbon emissions have simply not decreased to acceptable levels, and Francis was not afraid to identify the culprits as the wealthy developed economies (calling out the USA by name), which have failed to muster satisfactory commitments and make adequate sacrifices, such as by replacing petrochemicals and reliance on fossil fuels with renewable energy sources.
Skilled moral teacher that he is, Francis repeated his diagnosis regarding the pernicious effects of disordered attachments to lifestyles of excessive consumption. In our continued reliance on a misplaced “technocratic rationality,” we are still not “getting the relationships right,” instead badly misconstruing the place of the human species in our biosphere of interdependence. Environmental degradation will accelerate until humanity at last turns away from a stance of domination over other species and toward an orientation to serve all other living beings in a solidarity that resembles kinship rather than callous subordination. These calls for new ways of thinking certainly work well for Christians in search of a more adequate theology of creation, but also for even the most secular-minded audiences in search of a better future, or any future at all.
Has the vigorous critique launched by Francis been effective in sparking change? Has he succeeded in his project—either at the level of intellectual persuasion or that of inspiring climate change activism? The available data is rather mixed. Public survey polling conducted within the US by the Pew Research Center in the months and years immediately after the publication of Laudato Si’ indicated a remarkably strong influence of Francis’s message upon the ecological attitudes of his Catholic audience worldwide. For some years, Roman Catholics registered a higher-than-average awareness of climate change and the need to commit resources to offset carbon emissions. Unfortunately, more recent polling data casts doubt upon how perduring that “Francis effect” has actually proven to be.
More encouraging are the numerous indications that Catholic institutions (hospitals, university campuses, parishes) around the globe have undertaken ambitious steps to reduce their carbon footprint–through daily practices such as reducing energy waste and through enlightened investment and procurement policies. Though we are wise to acknowledge the usual disclaimers regarding drawing hard conclusions from anecdotal evidence, many of these institutions do explicitly cite the challenges offered by the pontiff. On the level of the universal Church, a Vatican-sponsored program called the Laudato Si’ Action Platform provides organizational resources and mechanisms for people to act upon the instruction issued by Francis. Many local Catholic dioceses and communities have adapted these resources to develop their own grassroots programs for practical enactment of environmental care. In the United States, a highly creative nonprofit organization called Catholic Climate Covenant has leveraged its growing influence to foster much encouraging progress. Its most recent national initiative organizes efforts into a four-part “Laudate Deum Action Pledge” including: “1) personal and family changes; 2) advocate for systemic changes; 3) work to move our church; and 4) the cultural shift that is needed.”
“Moving the needle” on such daunting challenges is never easy, but history demonstrates that energetic moral leadership often does make a major difference in the struggle for change. A visionary pope really can alter the regnant ethical discourse and propose new priorities. The clarion call of Pope Francis to oppose climate change before it is too late emphasizes two things that religion (and especially the Catholic Church) does extraordinarily well: educating for values and fostering moral formation. The ongoing engagement of Pope Francis and other Catholic leaders in the United Nations COP process will surely continue to accentuate the urgent need for precisely these transformations.
About Rev. Massaro
Father Massaro, a Jesuit priest of the USA East Province, serves on the Board of Directors of A Faith That Does Justice. His latest book is Pope Francis as Moral Leader, published by Paulist Press in October 2023.