Pope Leo XIV tells Global South bishops at COP30 in Brazil: Humanity must choose deeds over words to protect creation and uphold Paris Agreement amid closing 1.5°C window.
Newsroom (18/11/2025 Gaudium Press )In a video message delivered on November 17 as the United Nations COP30 climate summit entered its second week, Pope Leo XIV addressed bishops and cardinals from the Global South, calling for renewed commitment to environmental stewardship and international cooperation in the face of escalating climate threats.
Speaking virtually to prelates gathered at the Museu das Amazônias (Museum of the Amazonias) in Belém — host city of the conference on the edge of the Amazon rainforest — the pontiff praised their “prophetic voice,” describing the Amazon as a “living symbol of creation with an urgent need for care.”
“You chose hope and action over despair, building a global community that works together,” Pope Leo said, acknowledging progress made since the 2015 Paris Agreement but insisting it falls short. “Hope and determination must be renewed, not only in words and aspirations, but also in concrete actions.”
The Pope painted a stark picture of the crisis: “Creation is crying out in floods, droughts, storms and relentless heat.” He highlighted that one in three people worldwide live in extreme vulnerability to climate impacts, emphasizing that for these populations — predominantly in the Global South — the threat is immediate and existential. “To ignore these people is to deny our shared humanity,” he warned.
While affirming that the window remains open to limit global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, Pope Leo stressed it is “closing.” He positioned faith leaders as essential voices: “As stewards of God’s creation, we are called to act swiftly, with faith and prophecy, to protect the gift He entrusted to us.”
Turning to the Paris Agreement, which marks its 10th anniversary this year, the pontiff hailed it as “our strongest tool for protecting people and the planet.” Yet he the pontiff was blunt in his assessment: “We must be honest: it is not the Agreement that is failing, we are failing in our response. What is failing is the political will of some.”
“True leadership means service,” he continued, advocating for scaled-up support that delivers meaningful change. Stronger climate policies, he argued, would foster “stronger and fairer economic systems” and represent “an investment in a more just and stable world.”
Closing his address, Pope Leo invoked collaboration across nations and faiths: “We are guardians of creation, not rivals for its spoils.” He urged the assembly to emit a unified “clear global signal” of “unwavering solidarity behind the Paris Agreement and behind climate cooperation,” envisioning the Amazonian museum as a historic site “where humanity chose cooperation over division and denial.”
The event underscored the Catholic Church’s robust engagement at COP30, which has prioritized voices from the Global South through dedicated symposia featuring representatives from Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean.
In a symbolic gesture following the video message, cardinals from the Global South presented a replica of a fishing net originally woven by Amazonian indigenous communities and gifted to Pope Francis during the 2019 Synod on the Pan-Amazon Region. The net, a traditional emblem of unity and peace, reinforced themes of interconnectedness and shared responsibility.
Pope Leo’s intervention comes amid tense negotiations at COP30, where delegates grapple with climate finance shortfalls, emissions targets, and implementation gaps — issues acutely felt in developing nations. His words echo the environmental legacy of his predecessor, Pope Francis, while amplifying calls for moral leadership in a summit widely seen as pivotal for accelerating action toward net-zero emissions and climate justice.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from Vatican News
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