Pope Leo’s message was convey by Cardinal Parolin at the COP30 Climate Summit.
Urging people not to lose sight of “the human face of the climate crisis,” Pope Leo XIV called on the nations of the world to set aside self-interests and “courageously accelerate” global action to limit suffering arising from rising global temperatures.
“It is vital to turn words and reflections into choices and actions based on responsibility, justice and equity to achieve lasting peace by caring for creation and our neighbors,” Leo wrote in a Nov. 7 message to world leaders gathered in Belém, Brazil, on the edge of the Amazon rainforest, for the United Nations climate summit known as COP30.
“This Conference should become a sign of hope, through the respect shown to the views of others in the joint endeavor to search for common language and consensus, while putting aside selfish interests, bearing in mind the responsibility for one another and for future generations,” Leo wrote in a message read aloud by Cardinal Pietro Parolin to start the second day of the leaders summit that saw more than 140 heads of state deliver remarks.
COP30 will officially open Nov. 10 and is scheduled to conclude Nov. 21. Against the backdrop of the Amazon Basin, the annual two-week conference will host 50,000 delegates from more than 190 countries, with a sizable Catholic presence expected in a country that is nearly 80% Catholic.
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