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While the Philippine Catholic leadership has long advocated for environmental protection and social justice, Pope Francis' work has led to speeding up its progress in the past decade
The passing of Pope Francis on Monday, April 21, marks the end of arguably the most progressive reign in the history of the Roman Catholic Church.
For the past 12 years, he launched a shift in how the religious institution positioned itself on some of the most critical issues of our time. Compared to previous heads, Pope Francis openly criticized capitalism, allowed priests to bless same-sex couples, and advocated for the protection of migrants.
Yet his greatest legacy is being a champion on caring for the Earth, our common home.
‘Praised be‘
This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Laudato Si’, Pope Francis’ encyclical that firmly positioned the climate crisis as a fundamental issue for the global Catholic community to address.
This document is an extension of his broader call for upholding social justice. He placed an emphasis on caring for the well-being of the marginalized, having grown up in Argentina seeing the widening gap between the wealthy and the poor. He highlighted this divide as a key issue of the ongoing ecological crisis that must be addressed.
The Laudato Si’ has made a huge impact in humanizing the climate crisis, which has often been presented as a largely scientific problem that is difficult for billions of people to understand. By also highlighting the role of science in solving this issue, it also symbolized harmony between science and faith, which are commonly viewed as incompatible.
The past decade has seen Pope Francis’ advocacy for a healthier world spur reforms within the Church and actions among billions of people. Several publications from the Vatican build on the Laudato Si’, from a document on faith-consistent investing to the follow-up letter, Laudate Deum, that laments the failure of the global negotiations and cooperation to sufficiently address the climate crisis.
In relation to this, the Vatican government or the Holy See has also become a participating nation in said negotiations, being viewed as a moral voice in the often chaotic and divisive proceedings.
The Philippine context
While the Philippine Catholic leadership has long advocated for environmental protection and social justice, Pope Francis’ work has led to speeding up its progress in the past decade.
This is most evident in the two pastoral letters published by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) in 2019 and 2022. These documents reaffirmed the body’s commitment to providing leadership in addressing ecological issues through words and actions.
Compared to 10 years ago, there will now be an Ecology Ministry in each diocese, an entire unit focused on responding to climate and environmental issues within their areas. A green auditing process is also being planned to assess the sustainability of dioceses, parishes, and other Catholic units, aligned with global and national climate strategies.
One of the biggest reflections of this influence is on the work on fossil fuel divestment. Whether at the global or Philippine scale, faith-based organizations are among the most prominent voices pushing for financial flows to be directed toward renewable energy over the likes of coal and gas, which are sources of climate pollution.
The year 2025 also holds significance for the Philippine Catholic community not only because of the Laudato Si’ anniversary. Per its 2022 pastoral letter, the CBCP committed to withdraw its assets from banks still financing fossil fuels by the end of this year.
On the ground are men and women of the clergy inspiring their communities to stop the destruction of their natural environment and the harm caused by malpractices by industries such as fossil fuels and mining. From shareholders’ meetings abroad to dialogues with affected sectors, they are inspired by the words of Pope Francis in listening to the cries of the Earth and the poor and ensuring that others can hear them.
Even the sole trip of Pope Francis to the Philippines in 2015 is centered on the cries of the Earth and the poor. He visited the communities hardest hit by Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) and Typhoon Ruby (Hagupit), seeing the lingering impacts of a changing reality brought by climate pollution. His visit ended with a papal Mass in Luneta, considered as the largest papal crowd in history — an indication of the influence of Catholicism in the country.
Francis’ legacy
Experts would argue that Pope Francis’ legacy is not just defined by what he did but, ultimately, by his character.
As the first Jesuit pope, he honored the principles of his religious order by steering the Church toward a vision grounded in humility, compassion, and concern for the poor and the marginalized. He chose the name Francis largely because he wanted to focus his papacy on the most vulnerable, like Saint Francis of Assisi (who was also the patron saint for ecology and animals).
As the first non-Italian pope in nearly five centuries, his presence opened the doors for a shift of the Church perspective to more strongly account for the growing Catholic populations in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. He ended up appointing 108 cardinals during his reign, most of whom are from the aforementioned regions.
Among them are three Filipinos: Bishop Pablo Virgilio Cardinal David, who is the current CBCP president; Archbishop Jose Cardinal Advincula, who currently leads the Archdiocese of Manila; and Archbishop Orlando Cardinal Quevedo of Cotabato.
It is up to them, and the rest of the Catholic leaders and faithful, to build on the gains achieved under the leadership of Pope Francis. With the climate crisis worsening every year, social injustices still prevailing, and many Filipinos still unaware of the Laudato Si’, there has never been a more appropriate time for our faith to be completed with action.
The next leader of the Roman Catholic Church has some big papal shoes to fill. – Rappler.com
John Leo Algo is the national coordinator of Aksyon Klima Pilipinas and the deputy executive director for programs and campaigns of Living Laudato Si’ Philippines. He has been a climate and environment journalist since 2016.
