"Pope Leo Calls for Unity on Climate at a Divided Moment" (Spencer Mottley)

     The New York Times article "Pope Leo Calls for Unity on Climate at a Divided Moment" discusses 

how Pope Leo has spoken out about the climate crisis so far, and how he shares similar concerns to his

predecessor, Pope Francis, concerning the environment and climate change in particular. Similar to Pope 

Francis, Pope Leo has called on Catholics as well as followers of other faiths to be stewards of the

environment and not treat climate change as a polarizing issue, but rather as a moral and spiritual

obligation to try to address. He has also urged people to get involved in organizations that advocate for

climate action, and that persuade governments to take serious action to curb climate emissions like

imposing stricter regulations, procedures, and controls. Pope Leo has even stated that citizens need to

engage in political action and decision-making to voice their concerns regarding the environment. While 

making his remarks on climate change, he often references the words and phrases of the former pope.

such as during a speech in October 2025, where he said, “What must be done now to ensure 

that caring for our common home and listening to the cry of the earth and the poor do not 

appear as mere passing trends or, worse still, that they be seen and felt as divisive issues? 

(Rich)”. Unlike the former pope, however, Pope Leo refrains from directly singling out and 

criticizing world leaders for their lack of action on climate change. After reading this article, I 

was left with a question and an answer to that question. My question is, what is the most 

effective way to get people (especialy global leaders) to act on climate change? My answer to that 

question is to try to appeal to their personal/national interest by stating that it will be cheaper, 

will create jobs and will be better for the economy in the long run, if we act on this issue rather 

than ignoring it. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Sarah Chapman- Homelessness Countering the Destruction of Home by Kip Redick

Reading Homelessness Countering the Destruction of Home by Kip Redick challenged the way I think about both ecology and spirituality. What struck me most is the idea that “home” is not just a physical structure but an event, a lived relationship. Drawing from Martin Heidegger, Redick describes dwelling as a kind of embodied participation in a community that includes not only humans, but also earth, sky, plants, animals, and even tools. I found myself reflecting on how rarely I actually experience that kind of dwelling. So often, I move through spaces quickly, distracted, or focused on productivity rather than presence. However, as I have continued to take classes with Dr. Redick, I try to be more intentional and aware of nature. The essay made me more aware of how deeply modern technology shapes the way I relate to the world. Through thinkers like Jacques Ellul and Emmanuel Levinas, Redick argues that we have turned the world into “standing reserve”, something to be used efficiently ra...
Read more

Iroquois Creation Story Paper Presentation (Amanda Capper)

 During today's class, one of our classmates shared her essay on the Iroquois creation story. I thought this was actually really interesting, because I had never heard of it before. One thing that struck me as particularly interesting was the main theme of reciprocity and balance. For example, the earth (Gaia) as an independent resource was interesting to me. Through Gaia, other environmental constituents also spring up, such as trees, grasses, dirt, the ocean, the rivers, etc. These features give humanity sustenance, breadth, and life. This is where the reciprocal practices come from. Using these materials and the natural world for our benefit, yes, but there's more to life than just this.  I've always thought that the Native worldview is so much better than our own worldview. I think when we get so involved in ourselves, materialistic and capitalistic culture, we lose sight of what really matters - community and the ecosystem we live in. Its not just about the things we h...
Read more

Kip Redick Introduction

Welcome to the Religion and Ecology blog for 2026. Make sure to start the blog with your name and the subject of the entry (Just as I have done with this post). Blog entries will be considered informal writing assignments and as such will be graded more in relation to content than style. Blog entries will contain questions and answers to questions, as well as reflections which relate to daily classroom discussions, completion of exercises, and reading assignments. Any questions the student has when reading or completing assignments should be written in their blog. Reflections may relate to connections the student makes between discussions in this class and those in other classes, between arguments raised in the readings in this class and those raised in other classes or in informal conversations. Students are encouraged to apply the ideas learned in this class to activities that take place outside of the class. These applications make great reflections. The student s...
Read more