On Thursday, it was revealed who will succeed Francisco as the head of the Catholic Church. It will be **Robert Prevost**, the **Pope Leon XIV** from now on.
He is the first American pontiff to hold that position, and there are several particularities to highlight regarding central themes. In various aspects, such as the case of ideas on climate change, he has shown alignment with his predecessor on different occasions.
This stance directly opposes the position maintained by Donald Trump, the current President of the United States and the birthplace of Prevost. The president denies human action regarding the effects of the climate crisis, and his administration does not aim to implement policies to alleviate or combat it.
Pope Leon XIV’s stance on climate change
Just a few months ago, in Rome, he reiterated the commitment of the Holy See to environmental protection within the framework of a seminar on the encyclical **Laudato Si**.
He did so explicitly stating it is time to move “from words to action,” as reported by **Vatican News** on November 29. Laudato Si is the first encyclical letter of the Church on the protection of the Earth and the “care for our common home.”
Leon XIV seems explicitly opposed to his fellow countryman, President of the United States, Donald Trump, who once again ordered the withdrawal of his country from the **Paris Agreement**.
The then Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, elected yesterday as Pope Leon XIV, was very clear about the climate crisis, as well as human rights.
As reported by **Vatican News** on November 29, during his speech on the planet’s environmental crisis, Prevost, who was then president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America and Prefect of the Episcopal Dicastery, insisted during the seminar on the Catholic response to the environmental challenge.
He also pointed out that it must be based on the **Social Doctrine of the Church,** emphasizing that it is time to move “from words to actions.”
Dominion over nature should not become tyranny, Prevost said at the time, also appealing to a “relationship of reciprocity” between humans and the environment.
Donald Trump’s climate denial
The American president greeted and congratulated his compatriot upon hearing the news. However, on this point regarding the climate issue, their views would be opposed.
The denial of climate change caused by humans is one of the hallmarks that characterized Trump’s thoughts during his first term, and he is far from changing it now.
On the contrary, one of the first measures he took as President was to include the withdrawal of the country from the **Paris Agreement**.
Trump and his team argue that climate change is not caused by human activity but by natural cycles, dismissing the research of the **IPCC** and the global scientific consensus on the environmental crisis.
Another issue to consider is that, during his first term, Trump withdrew the United States from the Paris Agreement. This return to the White House poses a challenge for climate diplomacy, as the country could once again ignore commitments to reduce carbon footprint, jeopardizing collective efforts.
