PRESS RELEASE

GreenFaith Mourns the Passing of Pope Francis, A Faithful Champion for Climate Justice

With deep sorrow and profound gratitude, GreenFaith mourns the passing of Pope Francis—a towering spiritual leader in the global movement for climate justice. His climate change legacy will endure for generations not only within the Catholic community but among faith communities worldwide.

Pope Francis made care for the Earth, which he always linked with care for the poor, a central moral concern of our time. He did so in a way that represents the best of religious leadership – by communicating with grace and power and by acting in a way that reflects religious values. 

Through Laudato Si’, written in the lead-up to the historic Paris Climate Agreement, he elevated the climate crisis to the top of the global faith community’s agenda, insisting that environmental destruction is a grave ethical and spiritual failing. Building on the work of previous Popes, courageous Catholic religious orders, and visionaries from other Christian denominations and religions, his articulation of “integral ecology” inspired not only Catholics, but also leaders across traditions. He sparked a new wave of eco-theological reflection and action among Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Jews, and more. 

After the adoption of the Paris Agreement, he followed his spectacularly written encyclical with numerous actions which showed the seriousness of his commitment to “our common home.” 

He engaged directly with the fossil fuel industry, calling its leaders to account for their destructive greed and urging Catholics to divest their holdings in coal, oil and gas companies. 

He criticized wealthy nations’ inadequate response to the climate crisis, calling for rich countries to ensure access to clean energy for all and protection for the world’s most vulnerable. 

He supported a response across the Catholic Church to sustainable practices, eco-spirituality and prophetic witness.

We honor Pope Francis for showing the world that faith can be a beacon of hope, justice, and transformation in the face of ecological destruction. 

At this very moment, when hard-won progress on climate change faces grave threats, it falls to all of us, whatever our faith, to honor his legacy by ensuring that our temples, mosques, dojos, gurudwaras, churches and places of prayer and reflection all serve as beacons for climate justice.

May his memory be a blessing—and a call to action.