BREAKING: Pope Leon XIV Receives Global Catholic Leaders Ahead of COP30, Urges Bold Climate Action

Updated by Anastasios Gordon Sekandi at 20:42 EAT on Tuesday 01 July 2025

Pope Leo XIV Blesses Holy Communion Cup Presented by Global Catholic Church Leaders — Courtesy Photo

HICGI | Vatican City, July 1, 2025 — In a significant moment of global religious unity and moral urgency, Pope Leon XIV this Tuesday morning received in audience the presidents of the Episcopal Conferences of Latin America, Africa, and Asia — Cardinal Jaime Spengler (CELAM), Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu (SECAM), and Cardinal Filipe Neri António Sebastião do Rosário Ferrão (FABC), respectively. They were joined by Monsignor Lizardo Estrada Herrera, Secretary General of CELAM, and Monsignor Josef Sayer.

During the private audience held at the Vatican, the Church leaders formally presented to the Holy Father a landmark document titled “A Call for Climate Justice and the Common Home: Ecological Conversion, Transformation and Resistance to False Solutions.” The publication reflects the joint effort of the three continental Episcopal Conferences — CELAM (Latin America and the Caribbean), SECAM (Africa), and FABC (Asia) — with coordination by the Pontifical Commission for Latin America (PCAL).

Later unveiled at a press conference, the document is a powerful call to action from the Global South ahead of the 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30), which will take place this November in Belém do Pará, Brazil.

Rooted in the spirit of Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si’, which marks its 10th anniversary this year, the initiative reaffirms the Catholic Church’s unwavering commitment to ecological justice. It urges global governments to adopt bold and genuine measures for climate protection, warning against so-called “false solutions” that fail to address root causes or serve the most vulnerable communities.

The meeting and the document represent a rare and robust convergence of the Catholic Church’s leadership across three continents most impacted by the climate crisis. The appeal emphasizes integral ecology, ecological conversion, and solidarity with the poor — echoing Pope Francis’ ongoing call to care for “our common home.”

As COP30 approaches, the Vatican’s engagement underscores the central role of faith and ethics in global environmental policymaking, and its determination to amplify the voice of those on the frontlines of climate change.