Shannon Kelly ’26

by Shannon Kelly ’26 on October 9, 2025

A Speech from Pope Leo 

On Wednesday, Oct. 1, Pope Leo XIV spoke at a conference centered on climate change in Castel Gandolfo, Italy. This was his first speech on the environment since becoming pope in May. In light of celebrating ten years of Laudato si’, an encyclical written by Pope Francis which focuses on the importance of caring for our common home, Pope Leo XIV centered his call around the need for global action to protect the world as we know it. As explained by Pope Leo XIV, “the challenges identified in Laudato si’ are in fact even more relevant today than they were 10 years ago.” 

Pope Leo XIV put pressure on the people to call on their respective governments to take action and involve themselves in addressing one of the world’s most pressing issues—climate change. He emphasized the fact that “We cannot love God, whom we cannot see, while despising his creatures.” Pope Leo XIV also spoke to the connection that is often formed between environmental degradation and poverty. He continually emphasized the bond that remains between having a concern for nature, seeking justice for the poor, remaining committed to society, and desiring interior peace. He stated that striving for the common good should always be at the forefront of all that we do, while sticking to the fact that there is no room for indifference or resignation in conversations centered on climate change. 

Pope Leo XIV acknowledged the need for upcoming international conferences, such as the 2025 Climate Change Conference, the 53rd Plenary Session of the Committee on World Food Security, and the 2026 Water Conference, to listen to the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor, families, indigenous peoples, involuntary migrants, and believers all over the world. The Pope reminds us that we are all one family, who depend on one another and whose actions reap consequences both in the present day and in the future. Pope Leo XIV preached the need for unity in his own words: “We inhabit the same planet, and we must care for it together.”

Pope Leo XIV has recently spoken in regards to the political climate in the United States at this current moment. He weighed in on the dichotomy of those who say they are pro-life, but agree with the inhumane treatment of immigrants in the U.S., stating that he does not know if that is truly pro-life. Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich highlighted the divisions that exist in the U.S., saying that Catholics have been left “politically homeless.” In Pope Leo XIV’s final remarks, he concluded with a question regarding each and every one of us as people. After acknowledging that God asks us to cultivate and care for the world that he created, which we all are called to do as believers, we must reckon with taking true care of our brothers and sisters. Will we cultivate the earth, care for the environment, and support our loved ones for the benefit of future generations, or in the words of the Pope, “what will be our answer?”