As world leaders prepare for COP30 in Belém, Brazil, Catholics have a unique role — and a sacred duty — to raise our voices for creation and the most vulnerable among us.
Scheduled to take place in the Amazon Rainforest, this annual United Nations climate summit is more than a political gathering; it is a moment of moral and spiritual conversion, echoing the call of Laudato Si’ to hear both “the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor.”
Pope Francis — and now Pope Leo XIV — remind us that everything is interconnected. The deforestation of the Amazon is not just an environmental issue — it is a human one. It is about Indigenous rights, food security, water access, and global climate stability. It is about environmental justice. And the scope of issues that will be tackled at COP30 goes far beyond the verdant foliage of the Amazon — the challenges tackled at COP30 will impact the whole world, and especially the poor and the marginalized everywhere.
COP30 invites the global community to act with the urgency and integrity that integral ecology demands. As Catholics, we draw from our Social Teaching — upholding the dignity of every person, the common good, and our preferential option for the poor. These values compel us not to treat climate change as an issue “for someone else,” but as a moral crisis that impacts all, especially the “least” among us.
We at Catholic Climate Covenant call on Catholic institutions, parishes, schools, and individuals to pray, educate, and advocate for bold action at COP30.
Join us on Oct. 20th for our monthly webinar, previewing COP30.
