The recent speech delivered by Parolin, on behalf of Pope Leo XIV, before the Conference of the Parties (COP30) on Climate Change confirms a trend already visible for a decade: the replacement of theology with climate ideology. What began with Laudato Si’ under the pontificate of Francis —an encyclical that proposed a “ecological conversion”— has become today an official, uniform, and predictable language.
Read also: Leo XIV to COP30: “If you want to cultivate peace, care for creation”
It is no longer about proclaiming Christ as Lord of creation, but about promoting a “forward-looking multilateralism”, a “new ecological humanism” and, in the words of Leo XIV himself, a “new international financial architecture centered on the human person”, which «should also take into account the link between ecological debt and external debt».
The emphasis has changed —and they no longer strive to hide it—. Man is no longer the custodian of creation as a child of God —although they try to shield themselves with rhetorical forms—, but the manager of a planet in danger, in which “peace” depends on environmental policies.
Peace that depends on the climate
It is significant that the first point of the message: “peace is threatened by the lack of due respect for creation”. This establishes an equivalence between war and pollution, between sin and deforestation. Instead of pointing to the moral and spiritual causes of violence —apostasy, the loss of the sense of good and evil, the denial of God—, the lack of peace is attributed to environmental degradation.
The result is a decentered moral vision, where salvation is measured by the carbon footprint. In this framework, the Gospel becomes a pedagogical tool in the service of sustainability, the goals of the 2030 Agenda, and the Paris Agreement.
“The parties are urged to boldly accelerate the implementation of the Paris Agreement”
Creation as a pretext and Christ displaced
The Holy See's speech at COP30 is not a diplomatic anecdote, but a deep-seated symptom: the replacement of Christianity with a global ecological ethic. In the name of peace, a morality without grace is preached; in the name of fraternity, a unity without Christ.
As mentioned by the apostolic nuncio in Brazil, this meeting seeks to concretize four fundamental areas: energy efficiency, development of renewable sources, elimination of fossil fuels, and education for more sober lifestyles.
Read also: Brazil: the Holy See promotes an ecological conversion in the framework of COP30
The Church, which should remind the world that man is not saved by his works, but by the redemption of the Cross, has joined the chorus of institutions that preach an earthly paradise based on climate regulations.