In a remarkable papacy, Laudato Si’ was central to Pope Francis’ legacy

On this day between Easter and Earth Day, Pope Francis journeyed back to God, and Catholic Climate Covenant staff, board, partners, and supporters mourn his death.

His leadership and attention to “the poorest of the poor” and our Common Home inspired and renewed not only our work but that of billions of people around the world. We recall with special joy the heady days of 2015, from the time of the Vatican’s announcement that “Laudato Si’” was being drafted, to its release on June 18, 2015, and the days that followed.

Taking the name of Francis, many knew that this papacy was going to be different. Proclaiming that he chose the name Francis because the beloved saint was, “[a] man of peace, a man of poverty, and a man who loved and protected creation,” he provided us with hope that he would not just carry on the powerful environmental legacies of St. John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI, but would expand it in the spirit of the patron saint of ecology. We were not disappointed. Pope Francis’ leadership was characterized by transformational joy and affirming gratitude in a world that is very much in need of both.

Environmental groups and many others around the world found the encyclical to be the most influential statement ever written on our ongoing crisis. We would not argue otherwise.

Not satisfied with the progress of adopting Laudato Si’s warning, Pope Francis doubled down by releasing Laudate Deum on the Feast of St. Francis, October 4, 2023. Not nearly enough progress has been made, he said, and for the sake of the earth and future generations, we must do better. Beginning the exhortation by quoting the 2001 United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ statement on climate change, and ending by noting that the United States is historically the largest contributor to climate change and still has the highest per-capita emissions of any other country, he implores us to examine our lifestyles and live more in keeping with the finite resources of a generous planet: resources meant to be shared by all humanity, not just those of us in wealthy nations.

Even as we mourn on this sad day, we rejoice as we remember and honor the legacy of a remarkable man and a remarkable pope. As an organization committed to promoting Catholic teaching on the environment in the United States, we vow to continue Pope Francis’ groundbreaking efforts to care for the planet. May we be worthy of his message by honoring God’s good gift of creation.