Honoring His Legacy on Earth Day and Beyond
As the world observes Earth Day on April 22, 2025, the Catholic faithful remember Pope Francis not only as a spiritual shepherd but as a passionate advocate for environmental stewardship. Just one day after his passing, his call to care for creation continues to inspire Catholics across the globe.
Pope Francis made care for the environment a key part of his pontificate, most notably through his 2015 encyclical Laudato Si’, which urged the faithful to recognize the Earth as “our common home” and to protect it for future generations.
Here are five of his most powerful quotes that reflect his deep reverence for creation and his belief that environmental care is inseparable from Catholic faith:
1. “Nature is a magnificent book in which God speaks to us and grants us a glimpse of his infinite beauty and goodness. Rather than a problem to be solved, the world is a joyful mystery to be contemplated with gladness and praise.”
— Laudato Si’, 12
2. “Take good care of creation. St. Francis wanted that. People occasionally forgive, but nature never does. If we don’t take care of the environment, there’s no way of getting around it.”
— Meeting with the President of Ecuador, April 22, 2013
3. “The entire material universe speaks of God’s love, God’s boundless affection for us. Soil, water, mountains: Everything is a caress of God.”
— Laudato Si’, 84
4. “As stewards of God’s creation, we are called to make the earth a beautiful garden for the human family. When we destroy our forests, ravage our soil, and pollute our seas, we betray that noble calling.”
— Meeting with Young People, Santo Tomás University, Manila, Jan. 18, 2015
5. “We received this world as inheritance from past generations, but also as a loan from future generations, to whom we will have to return it!”
— Remarks in Quito, Ecuador, July 7, 2015
These words remind us that for Pope Francis, protecting the environment was never a secondary concern—it was a moral and spiritual obligation rooted in love for God and neighbor.
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