Pope Leo Is Becoming the Climate Champion We Need
He has introduced a “green” Mass and supports running Vatican City solely on solar power.
Pope Leo XIV has overseen the addition of a “green” Mass to the church’s list of approved services.
Photographer: Christian Gennari/AFP/Getty Images
While the leader of 340 million Americans furiously works to derail climate action, the leader of 1.4 billion Catholics is embracing it.
In May, when Pope Leo XIV succeeded the late Pope Francis, I suggested he could be the kind of climate champion the world needs when President Donald Trump seems determined to turn the US from one of the world’s leading protectors of the environment to one of its worst vandals. So far, Leo has given no reason to doubt he’ll be at least as green as Francis, who was arguably the greenest pope in modern history.