By Ms. Charlotte Vogel, GSIJP NGO Representative Associate, New York Office

When Laudato Si’ was released on June 18, 2015, the Vatican website briefly crashed under the weight of global curiosity. The world was eager to read Pope Francis’ encyclical – the first ever entirely dedicated to the ecological crisis. In six chapters, totaling 184 pages, Pope Francis confronted the urgent realities of climate change, the loss of biodiversity, poverty, and injustice. Yet even while naming such daunting challenges, he ended with a rallying cry of hope:

“All is not lost. Human beings, while capable of the worst, are also capable of rising above themselves, choosing again what is good, and making a new start, despite their mental and social conditioning” (LS 205).

A decade later, history is about to echo. Pope Leo XIV will deliver his first major statement on climate change and reflect on the message and impact of Laudato Si’. The Holy Father will address the Raising Hope Conference, a global event designed to promote collaboration and moral leadership in the face of a troubled environmental landscape. Numerous leaders and experts from civil society, science, and policy will gather in Castel Gandolfo, Italy, from October 1 to 3, 2025, to discuss current climate challenges and suggest the most effective routes of action to enact meaningful change.

With speakers including Dr. Iyad Abu Moghli, Founder of the Faith for Earth Coalition of the United Nations Environment Programme, the Honorable Marina Silva, Minister of the Environment and Climate Change in Brazil, and Arnold Schwarzenegger, founder of the Schwarzenegger Climate Initiative, the conference seeks to “unite as a global family of good will” and set a course for integral ecology into the future.

As Pope Francis called on the Catholic community to be “Pilgrims of Hope” in the theme of the Jubilee Year, the upcoming conference faces a difficult challenge, as the world has seen an increase in the frequency and severity of natural disasters, as well as government and corporate rollbacks on environmental protections and research meant to mitigate suffering and damage.

Since last year, our global Good Shepherd mission has been affected by devastating floods from Thailand to Kenya, and violent earthquakes in Myanmar and Thailand. In Canada and Bolivia, wildfires from droughts have destroyed biodiverse forests and wetlands. Heatwaves occur regularly and for longer periods, as greenhouse gas concentrations continue to rise, making 2024 the hottest year on record at an average of 1.55 °C above pre-industrial levels.

This year also marks a decade since the Paris Agreement on climate change, the legally binding international treaty on climate change for countries to limit global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels over extended periods by reducing the use of fossil fuels. The coinciding of these two anniversaries presents a unique and important opportunity for the Raising Hope Conference: a time to come together to assess the progress made and the pitfalls experienced since these major advancements in 2015 and come away stronger, mobilized, and more energized to continue the mission of both Laudato Si’ and the Paris Agreement.

Good Shepherd International Justice and Peace supports this work through our promotion of integral ecology. Our Good Shepherd position emphasizes the interconnection between social and environmental issues and addresses the unjust realities of development and climate change. We advocate for policies that promote inclusive and universal rights, prioritize the marginalized and disadvantaged communities in striving for a just ecological transition, and foster a shift in behavior from ecological ignorance to environmental responsibility.

Pope Leo has hinted at how he will continue this message of hope from his predecessor, as shared in a homily he delivered on June 7, 2025:

“The earth will rest, justice will prevail, the poor will rejoice, and peace will return, once we no longer act as predators but as pilgrims. No longer each of us for ourselves, but walking alongside one another. Not greedily exploiting this world, but cultivating it and protecting it, as the Encyclical Laudato Si’ has taught us.”

His message will surely be internet-breaking, reaffirming the need to take immediate and widespread action against that which threatens our common home.

Learn more about the Raising Hope conference and register to attend the livestream here.