Pope Leo XIV to COP30 Delegates: “To Build Peace, We Must Care for Creation”. Pope Leo XIV has urged world leaders attending the 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30) in Belém, Brazil, to take decisive and united action to protect the environment, warning that true peace cannot exist without care for creation.
Delivering the Pope’s message on his behalf, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican Secretary of State, told delegates: “If you want to cultivate peace, care for creation.” The Pope’s words, he said, reflect the conviction that environmental protection is not only a scientific or political issue, but a profound moral responsibility rooted in justice and solidarity.
The Pope cautioned that while global attention often centers on armed conflicts, peace is equally threatened by the “disregard for creation, the exploitation of natural resources, and the deterioration of life caused by climate change.” These issues, he said, endanger all humanity and demand a renewed spirit of international cooperation focused on the dignity of the human person and the common good.
“In a world set ablaze by both war and global warming,” Pope Leo said, “this Conference must stand as a sign of hope.”
Reaffirming the moral dimension of the environmental crisis, the pontiff recalled Saint John Paul II’s reminder that caring for creation is an ethical obligation shared by all nations. The poorest communities, he added, continue to bear the harshest effects of climate change, deforestation, and pollution — making ecological action an act of justice and fraternity.
“The time has come,” Pope Leo emphasized, “to turn words and reflections into concrete actions guided by responsibility, justice, and equity.”
He urged governments to accelerate the implementation of the 2015 Paris Agreement, noting that progress has been too slow and fragmented. Climate, he said, is a “common good” meant for all, and its protection requires courage and unity.
Calling for a “new, human-centered global financial architecture,” the Pope advocated for systems that allow poorer nations to protect their citizens and meet environmental goals, recognizing the connection between ecological and economic debts.
He also stressed the importance of ecological education — helping individuals and communities understand how everyday decisions, from consumption to governance, affect the planet’s future.
Concluding his message, Pope Leo XIV called on the world to embrace an “ecological conversion” that unites care for the earth with care for one another. “May this conversion,” he said, “inspire a new spirit of solidarity that safeguards both creation and human dignity.”
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