As global temperatures rise, Franciscans International prepares for COP30

Franciscans International will advocate for climate justice at COP30, the 2025 United Nations Climate Change Conference. The event will be held from Nov. 10 to Nov 21, 2025, in Belém, Brazil, near the Amazon rainforest, which faces significant threats from human activity.  

During a recent Franciscans International gathering in New York City on May 1, experts explored the interconnectedness of Franciscan spirituality and climate justice, showcasing how Franciscans are well-poised to address global crises. 

Listening intentionally in challenging times 

Michael Perry, OFM, director of the Laudato Si’ Center for Integral Ecology at Siena College, moderated the panel. Sr. Joan Brown, OSF, former executive director of New Mexico Interfaith Power and Light, opened with a call to listen attentively. 

“It is our responsibility to pay attention to what is needed and to teach the young to pay attention,” she said. “We must give over part of ourselves to be open to listening and acting in new ways that are demanded of us in the times that we’re living in.” 

Reflecting on the overwhelming realities of the climate crisis, she mentioned that St. Francis wrote the Canticle of the Creatures during a dark period in his life. 

“More than ever, the Canticle is a revolutionary call to oneness as we experience worldwide and in this country the dehumanization of people, threats to immigration and refugees, human rights violations, and the sixth greatest extinction of species and biodiversity, all within a climate crisis," she said.

'We have to keep pushing’ 

In 2022, the United Nations General Assembly declared everyone has the right to a healthy environment and acknowledged climate change and environmental degradation as major threats to humanity’s future. However, the resolution was not legally binding.    

Despite the rise of corporate social responsibility policies, human rights abuses and environmental degradation have not only lingered, but have risen, according to Marya Farah, FI’s representative at the United Nations in New York.    

She noted that countries with the largest transnational corporations have been slower to ensure the right to a clean environment. Franciscans International and other groups continue to push for accountability in addressing environmental harm and human rights violations, including paths for affected communities to seek justice. 

Marya recounted how Franciscans International supports communities exploited by businesses in Sri Lanka, the Solomon Islands and Guatemala. She noted that representatives from the oil and gas industries continue to oppose pro-climate policies, underlining the need to continue advocacy.  

"We have to keep pushing and not back down, because they’re clearly not [backing down] as well,” she said. 

Fighting for the future 

Thinking of the future encourages people like Beth Piggush, integral ecology director for the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration, to stay in the fight. 

“’Consciously considering intergenerational solidarity should be at the heart of all our decisions,’” she said, quoting Laudato Si’s Line 159. “’Our environment must be preserved for future generations.’” 

She noted that religious documents like the Canticle and Laudato Si’, and secular documents like the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals share the mission of caring for creation. She stressed the need for a common language to discuss climate action across religious and secular groups. 

Budi Tjahjono, FI's International Advocacy Director based in Geneva, recapped the decades-long fight for climate justice at the UN and Franciscans International’s role. He cited challenges from past COPs, including expensive venues that hindered attendance from poorer countries, limiting representation of people most impacted by climate change.   

“There are hopes for COP30,” he said. “This will be the first time in four years that civil societies will be allotted space of our own so that we can speak, demonstrate and express our opinion. We need to reclaim that space again because it was taken from us in years past.” 

At this year’s COP30, FI will be pushing member states to provide financial commitments to reduce carbon emissions. Even if those commitments are met, Earth’s temperature will rise by several degrees. Franciscans International urges world leaders to make serious commitments to combat this temperature increase and reduce harm. 

The panel showed that the Franciscan tradition provides a framework to address the crises our planet faces and create a healthy and just future for humanity.  

Franciscans International raises awareness of cases of discrimination and violence against marginalized groups in the international community. Learn more at FranciscansInternational.org. 

Photos of this article are courtesy of Br. James La Grutta, OFM