The late Pope Francis has been hailed as a champion of climate action. This was reflected in his deeds and writings to the Catholics that he led across the world.  

UN climate chief Simon Stiell described Pope Francis as “a towering figure of human dignity, and an unflinching global champion of climate action as a vital means to deliver it”.  

“He had a deep working knowledge of complex climate issues, and his leadership brought together those most powerful forces of faith and science to deliver unimpeachable truths, highlighting the costs of the climate crisis for billions of people,” said Stiell in a tribute message. 

He issued the landmark Laudato Si: On Care of Our Home, a 184-page original document of papal communication to all bishops that was published in 2015, just before COP21, in which the Paris Agreement was signed.  

The encyclical addressed not only the followers of the Church but “every person living on this planet”. He talked of “global environmental deterioration” to “all people about our common home”.  

“Particular appreciation is owed to those who tirelessly seek to resolve the tragic effects of environmental degradation on the lives of the world’s poorest. Young people demand change. They wonder how anyone can claim to be building a better future without thinking of the environmental crisis and the sufferings of the excluded,” he implored. 

In fact, Pope Francis would have attended COP28 in Dubai and become the first pontiff to address a climate change conference, but ill health prevented him.   

However, in his speech, which was read out at COP28, he warned: “Destruction of the environment is an offence against God, a sin that is not only personal but also structural, one that greatly endangers all human beings, especially the most vulnerable in our midst and threatens to unleash a conflict between generations.” 

As we mourn the pontiff, we must continue advocating for climate action, defend climate champions, speak directly to oil and fossil fuel companies about global warming, and call out rich nations for their role in destroying the planet.