This Monday, November 17, the Pope sent a video message addressed to the Churches of the Global South on the occasion of COP30 in Belém, reinforcing the Vatican’s involvement in the climate debate and calling for explicit support for the Paris Agreement. His intervention, loaded with moral urgency, consolidates the current pontificate’s orientation toward an active—and increasingly visible—presence in the multilateral frameworks of global climate governance.
The Holy Father’s message coincides with the presentation of a joint document by cardinals from Latin America, Africa, and Asia in defense of the “common home.” But the underlying concern remains: to what extent can the Church get involved in international structures deeply marked by ideological agendas foreign, or even contrary, to Christian anthropology? That is the debate that underlies it, with increasing force.
A call to action in the context of COP30
The message was not limited to a spiritual reflection on creation; it was also a warning regarding the human cost of inaction. Leo XIV emphasized that the climate crisis is hitting the poorest and most vulnerable the hardest, and he denounced the indifference of those who continue to see the phenomenon as something distant or abstract. He described in stark terms the floods, droughts, and heat waves affecting millions, and warned about the progressive closing of the window to contain the rise in global temperature.
At the same time, he offered a vision of hope. He valued the joint effort of the Churches of the Global South gathered in Belém and called to renew the determination to carry out “concrete actions,” insisting that international cooperation remains indispensable for any real progress.
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The Pope thanks the Churches of the Global South for not resigning themselves and for building “a global community that works together.” However, the insistence on presenting the Amazon as a “living symbol of creation”—a concept that for years has operated as a political category as well as an ecological one—shows how the Holy See’s environmental discourse has become deeply intertwined with the narrative promoted by the international organizations present at the COP.
An explicit endorsement of the Paris Agreement
The Pontiff states without nuances that the Paris Agreement “remains our most powerful tool” to address the climate crisis. And he reproaches the lack of political will of States to implement it with the firmness he considers necessary.
We thus see an almost literal alignment with the UN’s climate discourse. The Church has moral authority to denounce injustices and defend creation; but, as various bishops and theologians remind us, its mission is not to endorse without reservations global political structures whose vision of the human being often includes proposals contrary to the dignity of life, educational freedom, the natural family, or the moral sovereignty of peoples.
Leo XIV speaks of a “window that is closing” and calls to act “with speed, faith, and prophecy.” However, when the Holy See expresses itself with an almost identical firmness to that of the COP’s political leaders, the prophetic voice of the Church begins to dilute, and an image emerges of a Church that identifies more as a global NGO than as the depositary of the truth about man and his relationship with God.
The Church as “guardian of creation,” between cooperation and prudence
Leo XIV evoked the need to walk alongside scientists, political leaders, and religious figures, emphasizing that the Church must act as “guardian of creation,” not as a rival to other institutions. However, that same language reveals a tension. The Church can and must care for creation, but it cannot allow its prophetic mission to dilute into a climate narrative that, on many occasions, comes accompanied by proposals contrary to human dignity and the natural order.
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The challenge is to preserve doctrinal clarity while participating in international dialogue. With this message, Leo XIV seeks to show a Church committed to the most vulnerable, but the form of that commitment must be discerned carefully to avoid getting trapped in a politically conditioned discourse.
Below, we leave the full message of Leo XIV:
“I greet the particular Churches of the Global South gathered at the Amazon Museum in Belém, accompanying the prophetic voice of my brother Cardinals at COP 30, saying to the world with words and gestures that the Amazon remains a living symbol of creation with an urgent need for care.
You chose hope and action over despair, building a global community that works together. Progress has been made, but not enough. Hope and determination must be renewed, not only with words and aspirations, but also with concrete actions.
Creation cries out in floods, droughts, storms, and unrelenting heat. One in three people lives in great vulnerability due to these changes. For them, climate change is not a distant threat. Ignoring these people is denying our shared humanity. There is still time to keep the global temperature rise below 1.5 °C, but the window is closing. As custodians of God’s creation, we are called to act with speed, faith, and prophecy to protect the gift He entrusted to us.
The Paris Agreement has driven real progress and remains our most powerful tool to protect people and the planet. But we must be honest: it is not the Agreement that is failing, but our response. What is failing is the political will of some. True leadership implies service and support on a scale that can truly make a difference. More forceful climate actions will create stronger and fairer economic systems. Firm political and climate measures constitute an investment in a more just and stable world.
We walk alongside scientists, leaders, and pastors from all nations and creeds. We are guardians of creation, not rivals for its goods. Let us send together a clear global message: nations remain united in firm solidarity with the Paris Agreement and climate cooperation.
May this Amazon Museum be remembered as the space where humanity chose cooperation over division and denial.
May God bless you all in your efforts to continue caring for God’s creation. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.”