Catholic episcopal conferences and councils of Africa (SECAM), Asia (FABC), Latin America and the Caribbean (CELAM) published a document A Call for Climate Justice and the Common Home: Ecological conversion, transformation, and resistance to false solutions with demands, commitments of the Church, and calls to action, on the occasion of the forthcoming UN climate change conference (UNFCCC) COP30 in Belém, Brazil in November.
The demands are for equity, justice, and protection. The commitments of the Church go beyond words and these are to defend, educate, strengthen, monitor, and invite a coalition from the Global North and South to face the crises.
The call to action is in “urging decision-makers to fulfill the Paris Agreement and implement NDCs commensurate with the urgency of the climate crisis” through the following:
- Putting the common good above profit
- Transforming the economic system towards a restorative model that prioritises people’s well-being and ensures conditions for sustainable life on the planet
- Promoting climate and nature policies anchored in human rights
- Sharing and implementing ethical, decentralized, and appropriate technological solutions
- Achieving zero deforestation by 2030 and restoring vital aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems
- Joining forces to strengthen democratic multilateral processes such as the Paris Agreement, and rebuilding trust in cooperation and dialogue, uniting us as humanity, North and South, for the well-being of the planet
The document was presented 1 July 2025 during a press conference at the Holy See Press Office and also shown to Pope Leo XIV. “The document reiterates the Church’s commitment to climate justice and calls nations and governments to action, inspired by the Pontiff’s call to promote an integral ecology, and in line with Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si’, which this year celebrates its 10th anniversary.”
The document can be viewed or downloaded (13MB) here.