In a powerful intervention at critical United Nations climate negotiations, Pope Leo XIV has issued a stark moral challenge to world leaders, demanding they move beyond words and take concrete actions to halt the planetary crisis of climate change.
A Moral Call from the Amazon
The Pope's urgent plea was delivered via video message to religious leaders gathered in Belem, Brazil, a city at the edge of the imperiled Amazon rainforest. He declared that humanity is failing in its duty to respond to global warming, emphasizing that God's creation is crying out in floods, droughts, storms and relentless heat.
While acknowledging that nations have made some progress, Leo XIV stated firmly, but not enough. He highlighted the immense human cost, noting that one in three people now live in great vulnerability due to climate impacts. For these populations, he stressed, climate change is not a distant threat but a present danger, and to ignore them is to deny our shared humanity.
Political Will is Failing
The pontiff's message arrived as the UN talks moved into their high-stakes second week, with ministers from across the globe joining negotiations. The timing was significant, as vulnerable nations from the Global South pressed for greater ambition. World leaders are increasingly acknowledging that the world is likely to surpass the critical 1.5 degrees Celsius warming limit set by the Paris Agreement in 2015.
Pope Leo XIV asserted that there is still time to stay within the bounds of the Paris accord, but not much. He placed the blame squarely on a lack of political courage, stating, It is not the Agreement that is failing, we are failing in our response. What is failing is the political will of some.
A New Voice for a Global Crisis
The first American pope in history, Leo XIV has fully embraced his predecessor's environmental legacy. His personal history, having spent decades as a missionary in Peru and becoming a naturalized Peruvian citizen, lends a unique credibility to his message. Experts note this gives him a Latin American heart and voice, positioning him as the world's most prominent moral leader against climate change.
His call for action stands in stark contrast to the position of the United States, the world's second-largest polluter, which is notably skipping the conference. The absence follows recent comments from former U.S. President Donald Trump dismissing climate change.
In response to the papal message, U.N. climate chief Simon Stiell said it challenges us to keep choosing hope and action. Catholic climate groups praised the intervention as a profound moral intervention that cuts through the noise of negotiations and calls leaders back to their urgent duty to act with courage, compassion, and justice.
