November 6, 2024
As people of faith dedicated to caring for our common home and protecting vulnerable
communities, Catholic Climate Covenant and Laudato Si’ Movement acknowledge our country’s
complex and varied perspectives. With the election of President-elect Donald Trump, we renew
our commitment to the values of our faith. Honoring our Creator, caring for each other, and
protecting our common home remain our guiding principles.
In Laudato Si’, Pope Francis’ 2015 encyclical on caring for our common home, the Holy Father
writes, “Underlying the principle of the common good is respect for the human person as such,
endowed with basic and inalienable rights ordered to his or her integral development. It has also
to do with the overall welfare of society.” We can and must act for the common good.
We will continue to work together with our many driven and passionate members and leaders to
build our power and ability to impact change. Our faith and witness in Christ call us forward into
prophetic advocacy. In Laudate Deum, Pope Francis writes, “The demands that rise up from
below throughout the world, where (people) from very different countries help and support one
another, can end up pressuring the sources of power.” This is our strength.
We know there will be challenges ahead. During the previous Trump Administration, the U.S.
government took significant steps backward on climate action. President Trump withdrew from
the Paris Agreement. The Trump Administration rolled back key environmental regulations,
including easing restrictions on fossil fuel production, reopening federal lands to coal mining,
and weakening energy efficiency standards.
Despite these renewed headwinds, Catholic teaching calls for policies that promote sustainable
development, facilitate a just transition, reduce inequality, and prioritize care for the Earth and
the poor through actions that advance the common good.
We know that energy efficiency and renewable energy projects can and will compete with fossil
fuels and save money for homeowners, businesses, and church facilities. We also know that
younger generations are deeply concerned about their future in a climate-threatened world, and
older generations are committed to leaving a liveable world for those who follow. We know that
climate impacts — rising sea levels, extreme weather, and ecosystem disruptions —
disproportionately affect vulnerable populations.
We call upon and seek to work with President Trump’s administration and Congress to help
ensure that the momentum generated on climate policies in the past four years continues, so
that current and future generations inherit a safer planet.
Catholic Climate Covenant and Laudato Si’ Movement remain committed to working with
policymakers across party lines to promote climate action based on justice, solidarity, and care
for creation. Together, we will continue to inspire, equip, and empower the Catholic community
and all people of goodwill to build a movement and encourage the action we need to protect our
common home and future generations.
As the Holy Father wrote, “What takes place in any one area can have a direct or indirect
influence on other areas.” To care for our planet, our children, and all people around the world,
we must redouble our efforts and respond to this crisis with bold action.
We pray that the Trump Administration, in consultation with both scientific experts and
faith-based communities, will find pathways to promote environmental sustainability and secure
justice for future generations. Climate change is not a partisan issue — it is a human and moral
issue that requires the commitment of all people of goodwill across political lines to protect
God’s creation and care for the future of our common home.