{"id":1280,"date":"2021-11-08T16:13:00","date_gmt":"2021-11-09T00:13:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/making-the-catholic-case-for-climate-change-action\/"},"modified":"2026-03-27T21:13:52","modified_gmt":"2026-03-28T04:13:52","slug":"catholic-case-for-climate-action","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/catholic-case-for-climate-action\/","title":{"rendered":"Making the Catholic case for climate change action"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n    \n                                \n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--article-hero \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--article-hero\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n<div class=\"inner-wrapper\">\n          \n<div class=\"f--field f--image\">\n\n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n              \n      <img\n                            data-src=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/04\/story-3576-768x432.jpg\"\n          data-srcset=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/04\/story-3576-768x432.jpg 768w\"          data-sizes=\"(min-width:1200px) 75vw, (min-width:768px) 83vw, 100vw\"          class=\"lazyload\"\n        \n                  alt=\"Making the Catholic case for climate change action\"\n        \n        \n                                      \/>\n\n    \n    \n  \n  \n\n<\/div>\n  \n      <div class=\"image-caption\">\n          \n<div class=\"f--field f--description\">\n\n    \n  Pope Francis strongly advocates for Catholics to take action aimed at countering climate change. (Image source: Wikimedia Commons.)\n\n\n<\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  \n  <div class=\"text-wrapper\">\n          <nav aria-label=\"Breadcrumb\" class=\"breadcrumbs\">\n        <ul>\n                      <li><a href=\"\/news\/stories\/\">News<\/a><\/li>\n                      <li><a href=\"\/news\/stories\/\/?category=sustainability\">Sustainability<\/a><\/li>\n                  <\/ul>\n      <\/nav>\n    \n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--page-title\">\n\n    \n  <h1>Making the Catholic case for climate change action<\/h1>\n\n\n<\/div>\n    \n          <div class=\"subtitle\">\n            \n<div class=\"f--field f--description\">\n\n    \n  Why is a delegation from the Vatican attending the United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP26? The president of USC Dornsife\u2019s Institute for Advanced Catholic Studies explains. <strong>[5\u00bc min read]<\/strong>\n\n\n<\/div>\n      <\/div>\n    \n           <strong class=\"author-field\"><span >By<\/span><a href=\"mailto:communication@dornsife.usc.edu\">Douglas Morino<\/a><\/strong>\n    \n          <span class=\"post-date-field\">November 8, 2021<\/span>\n      <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--social-share \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--social-share\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n  <div class=\"content-wrapper\">\n    <span class=\"a2a_kit a2a_kit_size_32 addtoany_list\" style=\"line-height: 32px;\">\n      <span class=\"title\">\n        Share\n      <\/span>\n                        <a class=\"a2a_button_copy_link\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/#copy_link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" title=\"Link\">\n            <span class=\"a2a_svg a2a_s__default a2a_s_copy_link\">\n 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cc--rich-text \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--rich-text\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n      \n<div class=\"f--field f--wysiwyg\">\n\n    \n  <h2>The big picture:<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Vatican diplomats dispatched to the United Nations Climate Change Conference are expected to play an unusually active advocacy role.<\/li>\n<li>Pope Francis issued his encyclical Laudato S\u00ed in 2015, calling on people of faith to protect the planet and criticizing acts that harm the environment.<\/li>\n<li>The pope\u2019 stance as an outspoken advocate for protecting the planet is in keeping with the Catholic faith and is a growing focus of Catholic teaching, according to church leaders.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr \/>\n<p>Among those converging in Glasgow, Scotland, this month for COP26, the United Nations Climate Change Conference, is a delegation from the Vatican. Pope Francis has been an outspoken advocate of environmental sustainability and ecological conservation. His encyclical Laudato S\u00ed, published in 2015, criticizes consumerism, irresponsible development and environmental degradation while calling on Catholics and all people of faith to take action toward caring for our planet.<\/p>\n<p>The\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/3369\/welshman-in-los-angeles\/\">Rev. Dorian Llywelyn<\/a>, president of the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/iacs\/\">Institute for Advanced Catholic Studies<\/a>\u00a0(IACS) at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, answered questions regarding the pope\u2019s stance on climate change, caring for our common home and Catholic Social Teaching, which is the church\u2019s doctrine on matters of human dignity and the common good.<\/p>\n<h2>What is the Catholic Church\u2019s position on the environment and ecological conservation?<\/h2>\n<p>Environmental stewardship is part of Catholic Social Teaching\u00a0(CST), which has three foundational principles: human dignity, solidarity and subsidiarity \u2014 the social organization principle that decisions should be made at the lowest possible level, but that some decisions require larger, concerted action.<\/p>\n<p>A core tenet of CST is that caring for our common home is a universal, human responsibility, and that we should love and care for the ongoing work of creation that God has put in our hands to tend. We shouldn\u2019t abuse creation.<\/p>\n<h2>How serious is the issue of climate change for Pope Francis personally?<\/h2>\n<p>Care for our common home has been one of the major themes of his pontificate. In speeches, sermons,\u00a0prayers and writings, he\u2019s emphasized the responsibility of Catholics to join in shared efforts to promote sustainability. He\u2019s acutely aware that climate change affects the poorest countries and individuals disproportionately.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.goarch.org\/-\/biography-ecumenical-patriarch\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Eastern Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew<\/a>\u00a0has become known as \u201cThe Green Patriarch\u201d\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncronline.org\/news\/earthbeat\/eastern-orthodox-patriarch-bartholomew-says-young-people-can-save-democracy-and-our\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">for his long-term support of environmental stewardship<\/a>.\u00a0In that regard, Pope Francis has shown himself to be Bartholomew\u2019s equal.<\/p>\n<h2>The Pope\u2019s Laudato S\u00ed calling for environmental action received lots of attention when it was issued. What exactly is it and how has it been received in and outside the Catholic Church?<\/h2>\n<p>It\u2019s an encyclical, which is a formal and often lengthy communication by the pope focused on an important element of Catholic teaching. My guess is that\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.vatican.va\/content\/francesco\/en\/encyclicals\/documents\/papa-francesco_20150524_enciclica-laudato-si.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Laudato S\u00ed:\u00a0On Care for Our Common Home<\/a> will be the best-remembered encyclical Pope Francis has written.<\/p>\n<p>On the whole, I think it spoke to many non-Catholics who were looking for significant communication from the Catholic Church on this issue. It is a very comprehensive document that deals with many topics, including environmentalism, and has positioned the Catholic Church as a leading advocate for sustainability.<\/p>\n<p>When it appeared, it was widely acclaimed by representatives of other faiths, and by secular bodies such as UNESCO [the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization].<\/p>\n<p>Within the Catholic Church, it has met some criticism\u00a0\u2014 specifically, the belief that the encyclical covers areas where Catholicism has no particular competence. But overall, most Catholics have welcomed it, even if they aren\u2019t deeply familiar with the whole of its rich content.<\/p>\n<h2>Is Pope Francis the first pope to take a stance on protecting the environment?<\/h2>\n<p>I\u2019d argue that lessons on the importance of protecting the environment are implicit in the first two chapters of Genesis. That\u2019s how central it is to our faith. So, it\u2019s no surprise that Pope Francis isn\u2019t the first pope to spotlight this issue. In fact,\u00a0Laudato S\u00ed\u00a0lavishly quotes the teaching of popes St. John Paul II and Benedict XVI on caring for the environment.<\/p>\n<p>Pope Paul VI\u2019s landmark 1967 encyclical\u00a0\u201cOn the Development of Peoples\u201d contains teaching about the relationship between justice and development, taking up a theme that already appeared in\u00a0\u201cGaudium et Spes,\u201d the Second Vatican Council\u2019s major document on the church and the modern world.<\/p>\n<p>So Pope Francis is contributing to an evolving strand in Catholic teaching. That\u2019s often the way doctrine grows\u00a0\u2014 with the contributions of many minds and hands.\u00a0Environmental conscience is one of the growth areas in Catholic teaching.<\/p>\n<h2>What is the significance of the Vatican sending a delegation to COP26?<\/h2>\n<p>Since the Holy See is a sovereign state, its representatives attend important meetings with political leaders. It even has permanent observer status at the U.N. In many respects, the Catholic Church, as a whole, is the largest social body in the world, with members in just about every nation \u2014 especially in the developing world. So, it\u2019s appropriate for it be present in some way at COP26.<\/p>\n<p>Vatican officials are often highly skilled diplomats and\u00a0can be great bridge builders in conflicts. The church is a great convenor of people who wouldn\u2019t normally spend time together. In all cases, the Vatican wants simply to accompany\u00a0\u2014 to be part of the solution if it can, and never the cause of the problem. In this particular case, given the ecological commitment of Pope Francis, I\u2019m guessing the Vatican will play more of an advocacy role than normal.<\/p>\n<h2>What role can secular academics and lay Catholics play in achieving the goals outlined in\u00a0Laudato S\u00ed\u00a0and COP26?<\/h2>\n<p>Academics from a wide range of disciplines can, and should, use their expertise to keep the issues of sustainability front and center.<\/p>\n<p>The Catholic Church doesn\u2019t have its own autonomous blueprint for dealing with climate change and promoting sustainability. But our belief about what it is to be human, and the relationship between the Creator and creation, provides\u00a0the reasons why Catholics should care about our common home and must support action that attempts to provide effective solutions to the climate crisis, for the sake of this generation and generations yet to be born.<\/p>\n<p>As the world seeks solutions, informed, rational, and humble\u00a0thinking is an important part of what Catholicism has to offer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n  \n        \n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--article-related-stories \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--article-related-stories\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n  <div class=\"inner-wrapper\">\n    \n                  <article>\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--cta-title\">\n\n    \n  <h3>\n          <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/how-climate-finance-to-help-poor-countries-became-a-global-shell-game-donors-have-counted-fossil-fuel-projects-airports-and-even-ice-cream-shops\/\" \n                        class=\"\" \n      >How climate finance to help poor countries became a global shell game<\/a>\n      <\/h3>\n\n\n<\/div>\n        <\/article>\n              <article>\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--cta-title\">\n\n    \n  <h3>\n          <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/two-iconic-coral-species-are-now-functionally-extinct-off-florida-study-finds\/\" \n                        class=\"\" \n      >2 iconic coral species are now functionally extinct off Florida, study finds \u2013 we witnessed the reef\u2019s bleaching and\u00a0devastation<\/a>\n      <\/h3>\n\n\n<\/div>\n        <\/article>\n              <article>\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--cta-title\">\n\n    \n  <h3>\n          <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/trumps-words-arent-stopping-many-countries-from-setting-higher-climate-goals\/\" \n                        class=\"\" \n      >Trump\u2019s words aren\u2019t stopping China, Brazil and many other countries from setting higher climate goals, but progress is\u00a0slow<\/a>\n      <\/h3>\n\n\n<\/div>\n        <\/article>\n            <\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Why is a delegation from the Vatican attending the United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP26? The president of USC Dornsife\u2019s Institute for Advanced Catholic Studies explains. <strong>[5\u00bc min read]<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":52,"featured_media":1283,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[66,336],"class_list":["post-1280","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sustainability","tag-climate-change","tag-cop26"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.1.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Making the Catholic case for climate change action<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Why is a delegation from the Vatican attending the United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP26?\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" 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