As hundreds of thousands of people file past the casket of Pope Francis at St Peter’s Basilica in Rome ahead of his funeral, thoughts turn to reflecting on his legacy.
Throughout his 12 year papacy Francis showed a commitment to raising awareness around issues of poverty and injustice, but one of the causes closest to his heart was caring for God's creation.
In 2015, just two years after becoming pontiff, Francis broke new ground by writing an encyclical on the environment. He called it Laudato Si (‘Praise be to you, my Lord’) with the subtitle ‘on care for our common home’.
It was the first ever written by a Pope on the subject of the environment and it was highly praised across the world. Ban Ki-Moon who was UN Secretary-General at the time praised the document for its “moral voice,” and it was credited with helping to inform debate in the run-up to the 2015 UN Climate Change Conference in Paris.
A global Catholic mission adopted the title, Laudato Si Movement in the same year. Its Climate Finance Campaign Manager James Buchanan told Premier Pope Francis’ encyclical was ground-breaking:
“He published it not only for Catholics, but for all people of goodwill. Laudato Si Movement was Pope Francis's blessing, and the movement itself has trained nearly 20,000 community leaders across 140 countries in faith based environmental action.”
The encyclical took inspiration from St Francis of Assisi and while other church leaders, including former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, had also raised awareness about climate change, it’s timing was highly significant. James Buchanan said:
“I think there was an increasing understanding within the church and also in society, about the severity of the climate crisis and the encyclical had a big impact ahead of the Paris agreement being signed. Pope Francis himself was also actively involved in diplomacy to ensure that the Paris Agreement was passed.
“It also brought together many different issues, so not only the climate crisis, but also the importance of biodiversity as well. He also spoke about the importance of ecological conversion for each one of us, so feeling a deep sense of connection to creation, and through that, encountering God, the Creator.
“Pope Francis said climate change is not just an environmental problem, it's also a moral issue, and it involves each of us.
“He said ‘to change everything it takes everyone’. So each one of us has a part to play in terms of caring for God's creation.
“Pope Francis was a beacon of light among world leaders when it came to his moral call for action on the climate crisis.
“World leaders need to heed the call that Pope Francis has made so strongly.”