Humanity stands at a crossroads: how we treat our Earth determines not just our future, but the fate of every living creature. In The Earth Defenders, I address this challenge head-on — calling on each of us to act with urgency, collective responsibility, and love for our common home.
In poem number 77 from Whispers of Nature, titled “The Last Standing Tree”, I tutor the soul through a single, majestic survivor — a silent witness to our era’s choices.
These narratives echo the spiritual cry Pope Francis elevated in Laudato Si’: a plea to “listen to the cry of Earth and the cry of the poor,” recognizing that environmental and social justice are deeply entwined.
Franciscan Roots and Francis’s Vision
Pope Francis — choosing the name of the saint of creation — framed ecology not as policy but as vocation. Laudato Si’ wove spiritual conversion with environmental action: challenging consumerism, acknowledging the disproportionate burdens of climate change on the poor, and inspiring an integral ecology that reorders our values.
Later, in Laudate Deum (2023), he amplified this call with urgency, condemning climate denial and inviting a shared sense of responsibility. This vision resonates deeply through The Earth Defenders and in the whispering stalk of the last tree — reminding us that hope begins in our smallest acts of care.
Pope Leo XIV: A New Growth
Since the passing of Pope Francis, Pope Leo XIV — shaped by Francis’s legacy — has affirmed environmental stewardship as central to his papacy. In his early days, he promoted solar adoption for parishes, supported justice for the Amazon, and encouraged a “relationship of reciprocity” with nature.
COP30: What It Means
COP30 stands for the 30th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). It is the annual summit where nations, experts, and civil society converge to review climate progress and chart action.
When & Where: COP30 will be held in Belém, Brazil, from November 10–21, 2025 — the first ever in the Amazon.
Why It Matters: It marks 20 years since the Kyoto Protocol and 10 years since the Paris Agreement, placing it at a historic crossroads. COP30 will focus on climate finance, just transitions, and biodiversity, with new roadmaps to mobilize trillions for action.
Pre-COP: Preliminary talks in Brasília (Oct 2025) set the stage for these decisive negotiations.
What Does “Interfaith” Mean — and Why It Matters
Interfaith means cooperation and dialogue between people of different religious traditions. It goes beyond theological debate, focusing on building respect, solidarity, and shared action for the common good.
At COP30, interfaith collaboration emphasizes that climate change is not only political or scientific — it is also moral, spiritual, and deeply human. This unity across religions amplifies the call to ecological conversion — binding together faith traditions in service of creation and future generations.
Final Reflections
In the spirit of Francis of Assisi, and carried forward by Pope Francis and Pope Leo XIV, the Church reminds us that caring for creation is both a spiritual calling and a global responsibility.
May these reflections — and the stories within The Earth Defenders and Whispers of Nature — inspire in us all an ecological conversion rooted in reverence, solidarity, and hope.
