BY: JAVIE BARCINAL | ASIA REGIONAL DIGITAL ORGANIZER
As the world reflects on the passing of Pope Francis at 88, we remember a leader who transcended the bounds of religious office. He was a prophetic voice in an age of planetary crisis, a figure who dared to name the moral failures that fuel ecological breakdown, and a source of hope and challenge for climate-vulnerable communities around the world.
For many of us across Asia, where rising seas, floods, and deforestation are no longer distant threats but daily realities, Pope Francis’s voice felt like an affirmation of struggles that have long been ignored. He did not speak for us— but he spoke with a clarity and courage that made room for our resistance, our grief, and our dreams of a more just world.
Laudato Si’: A Radical Moral Call for Justice
In 2015, Pope Francis released Laudato Si’, his groundbreaking encyclical on “care for our common home.” More than a climate document, it was a critique of the dominant economic model built on endless growth, consumerism, and the exploitation of both people and the planet.
He challenged rich countries to take responsibility—not just for emissions, but for the centuries of resource extraction, debt, and ecological harm that have disproportionately impacted developing countries. He spoke of the “cry of the earth and the cry of the poor” as one and the same.
That message deeply resonated in places like Bangladesh, the Philippines, Indonesia, and many small island states—where climate change is not an abstraction but a lived reality. Where ancestral lands are being taken, forests are being cleared for monoculture, and young people are rising to protect what’s left.
Dismantling Power, Naming Root Causes
Pope Francis was one of the few global leaders who directly called out fossil fuel corporations and warned against the seductive promises of false climate solutions. He reminded the world that you cannot solve the crisis with the same tools—and the same elite interests—that created it.
For developing nations often sidelined in international negotiations, his voice was a reminder that the moral center of the climate conversation lies not in boardrooms or carbon markets, but in frontline communities who have contributed the least but suffer the most.
His words offered strength to many youth leaders, Indigenous organizers, and faith-based movements across Asia, who have long said, ‘We don’t want sympathy—we want justice. ‘
Faith as a Source of Resistance and Repair
What made Pope Francis unique was his ability to link faith with ecological responsibility—not in vague spiritual terms, but in grounded, urgent language. He reminded us that caring for creation is not optional, but essential to any expression of moral life.
This has had a powerful ripple effect in Asia, where interfaith movements are growing to protect forests, watersheds, and sacred lands. In places where both religious traditions and ecological knowledge are deeply interwoven, Laudato Si’ has become a shared text across boundaries.
But we must also name the tension.
The Catholic Church, including in many parts of Asia, has its own history of complicity—in colonization, land dispossession, and the silencing of Indigenous spiritualities. While Pope Francis took steps to acknowledge this, including apologizing to Indigenous communities in Canada, many felt the institution still has a long way to go in reckoning with its past and returning power to affected peoples.
His Visit to Indonesia: Symbolism and Struggle
In 2024, Pope Francis made his final international visit to Indonesia—a country rich in biodiversity and culture, but also deeply threatened by extractive industries. He met with interfaith leaders, spoke of solidarity with the poor, and called for the protection of the earth as a sacred duty.
However, his visit also revealed complex truths: the distinction between symbolic presence and transformative action, between speaking about the margins and actively dismantling the systems that keep people marginalized.
Communities facing land grabs, displacement, and ecological violence reminded him—and all of us—that real solidarity demands more than words. It requires listening, returning land, ending violent development projects, and centering those most affected in decision-making.
A Legacy That Now Belongs to the Movements
Pope Francis’s passing marks the end of an era—but his message lives on in the movements and communities who have long been fighting for climate justice.
He may not have had all the answers. But he dared to ask the right questions. He challenged the rich and powerful to look beyond profit. He reminded the world that ecological collapse is not just a scientific issue—it is a moral emergency.
And perhaps, most importantly, he reminded us—especially in climate-vulnerable regions—that our struggles are visible, that they matter, and that a better world is not only necessary but also possible.
“Everything is connected,” he once wrote. “Everyone is responsible.” Let us carry that truth forward—not just in mourning, but in action.