Pope Leo XIV is closely following the path of the late Pope Francis on church teaching regarding the environment. He emphasized the need for a “true ecological conversion” in a speech he delivered on October 1st, 2025 at the start of The Raising Hope for Climate Justice conference. The conference was organized by the Laudato si' Movement in collaboration with the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, Caritas Internationalis, CIDSE, UISG, the Focolare Movement, and the Ecclesial Networks Alliance.
The Season of Creation 2025 is calling for action to address the huge costs of climate change and ecological destruction faced by the poorest, most vulnerable countries of the Global South. These countries are suffering the worst effects of climate change even though they have done the least to cause it. These same countries are forced to take out loans to build back after climate disasters. They become further trapped in debt.
Recent media reports on the war in Gaza has highlighted the increasingly dire situation. On August 22 the United Nations declared a famine in Gaza. Pope Leo also called on all Catholics to pray and fast for an end to war on that day. The ongoing violent conflict in the Holy Land is impacting the most vulnerable people - children and the elderly. Thus far reports have stated that 273 people have died of starvation; 112 of them children.
