Catholic Bishops from Around the World Call for Climate Justice and Ecological Conversion Ahead of COP30

Vatican City — On July 1, 2025, Catholic bishops from Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean issued a powerful joint appeal urging urgent action on climate change, titled “A Call for Climate Justice and the Common Home: Ecological Conversion, Transformation, and Resistance to False Solutions.” The document was unveiled during a press conference at the Holy See Press Office, emphasizing the Church’s firm stance on protecting our planet amidst the upcoming COP30 summit.

Representing Africa, His Eminence Archbishop Fridolin Ambongo Besungu of Kinshasa, President of SECAM (the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar), challenged the global community to seriously confront the climate crisis. “Africa is not a poor continent; it is a plundered continent,” he declared, highlighting the devastating effects of extractivism, deforestation, and climate injustice that disproportionately affect the region. “Africa wants to breathe, to live, and to be part of the solution with dignity and faith,” he emphasized.

The bishops’ message echoes Pope Francis’ ongoing call for ecological conversion rooted in spiritual and ethical renewal. “There is no climate justice without ecological conversion, and there is no ecological conversion without resistance to false solutions,” stated Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo, criticizing misleading initiatives like green capitalism and the financialization of nature. The bishops condemned the ongoing exploitation of natural resources, especially in sensitive ecosystems like the Amazon, insisting that true progress must prioritize community-centered, just, and sustainable pathways.

Latin American Cardinal Jaime Spengler, O.F.M., representing CELAM (Latin American Episcopal Conference), reaffirmed the importance of listening to indigenous and local communities as stewards of the land. “From the Amazon, we hear a cry — how can we allow market forces without ethics to decide the fate of our ecosystems?” he asked. The document calls for a shift from extractive economies to models based on solidarity, sobriety, and respect for Mother Earth.

Asian bishops, led by Cardinal Filipe Neri Ferrão of Goa and Damão, emphasized the devastating impacts of climate change in their region, including typhoons, displacement, and pollution. They called for operationalizing loss and damage funds and honoring the ecological debt owed by more developed nations. “We need fair climate finance that does not deepen the debt of the Global South,” he said, urging a global moral awakening and genuine structural change.

Supporting the collective call, Dr. Emilce Cuda, Secretary of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, underscored that ecological conversion is not optional but a vital part of Christian faith. “The Church must build bridges of reconciliation and inclusion, fostering education and ecological spirituality,” she affirmed, announcing plans to monitor progress through a Climate Justice Observatory promoted by the Church in the Amazon region.

This joint appeal comes as the world prepares for COP30, scheduled to be hosted in Latin America, with leaders and civil society called to prioritize social and ecological justice. The bishops’ collective voice reinforces that true climate action involves listening to the most vulnerable, resisting false solutions, and committing to a profound spiritual and ethical transformation.

As the bishops of the Global South unite in their advocacy, they reaffirm a universal truth: caring for our common home is a moral, spiritual, and existential responsibility for all humanity — a mission rooted in faith, hope, and unwavering dignity.