Pope Leo XIV's past comments on growing global crisis resurface: '[The church must move] from words to action'

Cardinal Robert Prevost, 69, is officially the new pope — and much like his predecessor Pope Francis, His Holiness is "outspoken about the need for urgent action" to address the impact of rising temperatures around the globe.

Prevost, a native of Chicago, took the name Pope Leo XIV. Notably, Prevost is the first American pontiff in history.

Pope Francis, who died on April 21, was known for his devotion to the betterment of humanity and the planet. He fearlessly advocated for the marginalized and impoverished, but it was his focus on protecting the environment that The New York Times profiled on the day of his passing.

According to the Times, Francis authored "the first-ever papal encyclical focused solely on the environment," titled "Laudato Si'." The paper described it as "a sprawling call to action," in which Francis "recognized climate change as both a social and environmental crisis," foregrounding that its "greatest consequences were shouldered by the poor."

Father James Martin, Jesuit priest and editor-at-large of America magazine, told the Times that Francis' 2015 call to action was a game-changer in the Catholic Church. Martin indicated that before Francis was elected, "climate change was seen either as a political issue or a scientific issue," but his writing "frame[d] it as a spiritual issue."

Martin said Pope Francis "started from the standpoint that God had created the universe, had created the world and that this was a responsibility of ours — to care for it." Per the Times, Francis' missive "clearly laid out the consequences of climate change, from loss of biodiversity to water scarcity and the breakdown of society."

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Official Holy See news platform Vatican News covered a Nov. 28 conference in Rome, during which Cardinals and representatives gathered "to discuss the global impacts of the ongoing environmental crisis." In a letter to attendees, Pope Francis emphasized that rising temperatures were of particular concern for the "poorest nations," adding that issues like extreme weather "cannot be hidden or disguised."

Prevost — months before becoming Pope Leo XIV — spoke at the conference, and he didn't mince words. Stating that leaders must immediately escalate "from words to action," Prevost described "dominion over nature" as a crucial responsibility with which humanity is tasked, cautioning against a "tyrannical" approach to environmental stewardship in favor of a "relationship of reciprocity" with nature.

Although the entirety of his remarks were not transcribed, Vatican News said the Cardinal spoke out about "the 'harmful' consequences of technological development," and "reiterated the Holy See's commitment to protecting the environment, enumerating examples, like the Vatican installing solar panels and shifting to electric vehicles."

During the two-day papal conclave leading up to Pope Leo XIV's election, Cardinals under consideration were profiled by the College of Cardinals' Report. Prevost's firm stance in terms of protecting the environment was listed among his most prominent positions, representing a continuation of Francis' devotion to caring for the planet and its people.