By Simmone Shah
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“From the very beginning, this encyclical has greatly inspired the Catholic Church and many people of goodwill,” he said. “In the process, its impact has even extended to international summits, ecumenical and inter religious dialog, economic and business circles, as well as theological and bio-ethical studies.”
The document was a call to action, published ahead of the landmark Paris Agreement adopted in December 2015. At least 10 world leaders referenced Francis’s words during their addresses to the United Nations climate conference that year.
Read More: The Climate Pope: Francis and His Environmental Legacy
Today’s speech marked Leo’s first major address on climate change, but the Pope has spoken briefly on the subject before. At the start of September, he touched on the climate crisis during a speech for World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation.
“On all sides, injustice, violations of international law and the rights of peoples, grave inequalities and the greed that fuels them are spawning deforestation, pollution and the loss of biodiversity,” he said. “Extreme natural phenomena caused by climate changes provoked by human activity are growing in intensity and frequency, to say nothing of the medium and long-term effects of the human and ecological devastation being wrought by armed conflicts.”
