Laudato Si’ Movement joins the universal Church in welcoming Pope Leo XIV. His election opens a new chapter for the Church and for our shared mission to care for our common home. With humility and hope, we receive this moment as an invitation to deepen our commitment to ecological conversion and peace.
His choice of name is significant. Pope Leo XIII was a man who broke the mould and focused the Church on the social issues of the day. He called us to greater attention to Catholic Social Teaching through publishing Rerum Novarum. Through his name, Pope Leo XIV signals his intention to continue in Pope Leo XII’s and Pope Francis’ footsteps as a leader focused on the pressing issues of our times.
In his time as president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America and Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, Pope Leo XIV said that when it comes to the ecological crisis, it’s time to move “from words to action.”
Pope Leo XIV joins ancient traditions of care for creation. As early as 1972, Pope Paul VI began speaking about the environmental emergency, and both Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis devoted considerable teaching to it. For decades, bishops, women and men religious, and theologians have spoken about the urgent need to interpret our faith in light of the signs of the planetary crisis.
We at Laudato Si’ Movement warmly welcome the Holy Spirit’s guidance in selecting Pope Leo XIVX to stand alongside the leaders of our synodal Church at this crucial moment in history. We look forward to furthering our mission for climate and ecological justice with him.
We pray for Pope Leo XIV as he begins his papacy and we accompany him in his service to God, to the Church, and to the world. May his leadership echo the cry of the Earth and the cry of the poor. And may all people of goodwill find in this new beginning a renewed call to protect the gift of creation.