Leo XIV: A papacy marked by ecology and the environment, Leo XIV Inherits a global church that brings together more than 1.4 billion Catholics, many of them in the global south, And it does so in a context loaded with social tensions, political polarization and ecological challenges. While it is recognized as a continuator of certain pastoral lines of Franciscothere is no doubt that he has begun to print his own accent.
As for the environment, XIV lion He has presented himself as a firm defender of the common house, with vigorous the legacy of Franciscowho in his encyclical ‘Laudato yes’ He warned about the severity of climate change.
In a seminar held in November, XIV lion declared that “Domain over nature“It should not be tyrannical, but a form of sacred reciprocity. His message was clear: ecology is not an optional matter, but a moral imperative for the believers of the 21st century.
Background of Pope Francis I and Ecology
What Jorge Mario Bergoglio adoptase His papal name by San Francisco de Asís It was a first declaration of intentions. I wanted to project one Church modernization image And one of the ways to do it was to convert the Care of the planet in one of its priorities.
Encyclical ‘Laudato Si’
From the beginning of his mandate, the Pope Francisco endorsed the flag of the fight against the climatic crisis And not only with words, also with facts. He June 18, 2015 published an encyclical of 190 pages entitled Laudato yes“Praised you”, which takes precisely from the song of the creatures of Francisco de Asís and that deals with “The care of the common house.”
Thanks not only to that encyclical, but to your continuous messages about the vulnerability of people with less resources against the climatic crisis, Francisco also managed to launch the message that The action of man has more influence on the earth than is believed from religion.
During his pontificate, the Vatican formalized his adhesion to the Climate Convention and al Paris Agreement And he promised, among other issues, Reduce emissions to zero by 2050.
Pope Francis always related the care of the planet to Christian values and the defense of the environment as a priority for the Catholic Church.
Exhortation ‘laudate deum’
He October 4, 2023 Apostolic exhortation arrived Praise God “To all people of good will on the climatic crisis.” Thus, the document that treats even more concretely and incisively is entitled to Signs of climate change are increasingly evident: “You can’t doubt the human origin of climate change,” he said.
Until his last days he insisted on the importance of protecting and caring for the planet “So that the world that welcomes us does not collapse”.