In November 2015, during the visit of Pope Francis to Kenya, I had the rare privilege of serving as personal assistant to Matteo Bruni, the Vatican’s director of the Holy See Press Office. This role allowed me close interaction with the Pope throughout his stay.

Before his arrival, I studied his encyclical “Laudato Si” on environmental stewardship. This powerful document immediately transformed my perspective on ecological responsibility.

The encyclical begins by referencing St Francis of Assisi, portraying Earth as “a sister with whom we share our life and a beautiful mother who opens her arms to embrace us”. Through this personification, the Pope creates a personal connection to environmental protection, stating that “this sister now cries to us due to the harm we have inflicted on her”.

In this poetic style, the Pope further labels the earth as “the most abandoned and maltreated among our poor” who is precariously “burdened and laid to waste”.

Pope Francis outlines what I consider six deadly environmental sins: pollution and climate change; water scarcity; biodiversity loss; declining quality of human life; global inequality; and weak leadership responses. His assertion that “because of us thousands of species will no longer give glory to God by their existence” particularly affected me.

In his follow-up work, “Laudate Deum”, he addresses insufficient climate action, warning that “the world we have been living in is collapsing”. He questions our progress toward limiting global temperature increases as established in the Paris Agreement.

Upon news of his death, I reflected on his environmental teachings and my own “ecological sins”. I was reminded of his hopeful message that “humanity has the ability to work together in building our common home”.

May his legacy of environmental care endure forever.

Kioko wa Kivandi is a Journalist and Journalism Trainer