Pope Francis - In memory of a brave and compassionate leader

Pope Francis walked an untrodden path. He advocated for issues beyond his traditional role, bringing the climate and biodiversity crisis to the forefront of global discussions and raising the significant role of Indigenous peoples in protecting nature. His approach, initiatives, and courage made a deep impression far beyond Catholic congregations. His dedication to the marginalized and oppressed was consistent and inspiring.

At Rainforest Foundation Norway, we would like to highlight two significant initiatives directly relevant to the rainforest and its peoples.

In 2015, the Vatican published, in nine languages, a little booklet called Laudato si’ (Praise Be to You) with the subtitle “On care for our common home”. The writing delivers a fundamental criticism against consumerism and irresponsible economic development, highlighting the profound seriousness of environmental degradation and global warming, and making a strong appeal to all people worldwide to take swift and unified action. Laudato si’ inspired RFN and Norway’s International Climate and Forest Initiative (NICFI) to launch the Interfaith Rainforest Initiative in 2017, mobilizing religious actors for rainforest protection.

In the same way, Pope Francis focused on the Amazon region, the plundering of its resources, and the injustices committed against its indigenous peoples. Called “The Synod for the Amazon,” a comprehensive multi-year consultative process was launched to rectify wrongdoings and provide consistent support to the Amazon rainforest and peoples.

When Pope Francis visited Peru in January 2018, he was met by some 4000 members of Indigenous communities. In his follow-up to the formal final Synod document from 2019, “Beloved Amazon” 2020, he pleads for “justice for the region's 33 million people, for the protection of their lives, their cultures, their lands, the Amazon river and rainforests against the 'crime and injustice' being perpetrated in the region by powerful economic interests”.

Building on this, the Vatican later took a significant step by formally rejecting the so-called “doctrine of discovery” in 2022. This is a centuries-old legal and political concept that was used to justify the dispossession of Indigenous lands during colonial times. By doing so, it acknowledged how these ideas contributed to historic injustices and affirmed the Church’s support for the U.N. Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. As Pope Francis stated during his 2022 visit to Canada, “Never again can the Christian community allow itself to be infected by the idea that one culture is superior to others.”

His time in the Vatican signaled a new era, and we hope his successor will carry this leadership on in a time of global turmoil where issues of climate change and biodiversity have recently been forced to take a back seat. As Francis Pope said to the Vatican City in April 2015:

“May the relationship between man and nature not be driven by greed, to manipulate and exploit, but may the divine harmony between beings and creation be conserved in the logic of respect and care.”

At RFN, we pay tribute to his legacy and mourn the loss of a great leader.