“Do you think people will listen to Pope Francis on this?” a journalist asked me recently. The easiest answer is, who isn’t listening to Pope Francis at the moment?



The subject in question is climate change, as the Holy Father gears up to release a much-anticipated Papal encyclical – a letter to Catholics everywhere – that will consider care for creation, sustainable development and the impact that climate change is having on the world’s poorest people.

The expectations for this document are huge. I attended a meeting this month at the Vatican to prepare for its release, chaired by the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, which brought together scientists, faith leaders, businesses, NGOs such as Cafod and politicians. (There was a certain irony in an institution set up to ensure there would not be another Galileo ‘mistake’ holding this conference on climate change while the modern day naysayers to the science tried to cause a distraction outside.)

The mixture was a good one; the scientists know the facts but can’t say what should be done, and faith leaders are not scientists but can bear testament to the effect climate change is having on the poor communities they serve.

Regardless of their faith, every single person who attended the meeting, alongside the general public, is looking to the Pope to drive momentum and create an atmosphere where world leaders will act on climate change, looking beyond national borders and our immediate generation.

As United Nations secretary general Ban Ki-moon – his presence further testament to the influence the encyclical is already wielding – told delegates: “We are the first generation that can end poverty, but the last that can take steps to avoid the worst impact of climate change.”

If Ban is right and climate change is the defining issue of our time, then the Church must reflect and speak on the signs of the times, just as it did during the industrial revolution when it called for workers’ rights and freedom of association, or when it spoke on the need for peace in the post-world war two era.

And yet, whatever the Pope says on the subject is likely to present a challenge to us all.

An encyclical is not a scientific document, rather one that explores a particular issue in the light of Catholic social teaching. Yet the Pontifical Academy of Science has thoroughly investigated the research, producing its own documents on topics such as glacier retreat, and it is clear that we must take on board what the science is telling us.

In September, the Pope will travel to the US, where he’ll address the United Nations, as world leaders gather to agree a new set of goals that will define development work for the next 15 years. He’ll also travel to Washington, where he’ll become the first Pope ever to address the US Congress.

Estimates suggest around a third of Congress are Catholic – yet many have been vocal in their climate scepticism. How will they cope when presented with the unassailable truth that their faith calls them to care about creation, and the impact that environmental degradation is having on the world’s poorest people?

The question of economics is often used to try and deflect the climate debate – with suggestions that challenging the status quo will impede the economic progress of developing countries - but the Vatican discussions this month left us in no doubt that the pursuit of purely economic growth by richer countries is leading to exploitation of natural resources and contributing to a growing chasm between the world’s richest and poorest. How will politicians in one of the world’s richest countries react if they are asked to step away from a ruthless pursuit of GDP?

What of the US news stations that report on the impacts of climate change with a healthy degree of cynicism – how will they choose to cover the Holy Father’s words? It seems unfathomable that they will openly criticise the stance he takes, and yet his words and actions will undoubtedly present a challenge to their standard editorial line.

And what of ordinary people? The Catholic community everywhere will be called upon to reflect not just on whether our lifestyles are promoting care for creation, but whether our social, political and economic choices truly promote the interests of the poorest among us.

Pope Francis is not the first pontiff to tackle environmental issues, and nor will he be the last. And while countless sceptics may try and use their own scientific interpretations to detract from his message, the fact remains that the Church’s role has always been to consider issues such as these from the viewpoint of humanity, to provide a moral compass that motivates people everywhere to do the right thing and think about how their choices are impacting on the poorest and most vulnerable.

Those protesting outside the Vatican climate meeting proclaimed that they weren’t obliged to listen to the Pope on this issue. Perhaps not, but as the Chancellor of the Vatican’s scientific academy points out – any Catholic choosing to ignore the encyclical’s message will need to have a very good reason for doing so.