--- description: Secretary of State John Kerry praised Pope Francis' encyclical on climate change, saying that religious engagement can help spur agreement. title: John Kerry Praises Pope Francis' Climate Change Encyclical image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt768ea05934626144/698855225f570f3862b1c0de/pope-francis-john-kerry.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Politics](/section/politics/) ## Politics Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [faith](/tag/faith/) ## faith Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # John Kerry Praises Pope Francis' Climate Change Encyclical ## Video: 2013 Person of the Year: Pope Francis Reimagines the Papacy [Watch (HLS stream): 2013 Person of the Year: Pope Francis Reimagines the Papacy](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/aYRnrfUV.m3u8) (3:30)  _Published 2013-12-11. From his comments on gays to his penchant for Twitter, Pope Francis's every move has garnered strong reactions from the world media._ by [Elizabeth Dias](/author/elizabeth-dias/) ## Elizabeth Dias Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jun 18, 2015 2:26 PM CUT  Pope Francis speaks with Secretary of State John Kerry (R) during a private audience with US President Barack Obama on March 27, 2014 at the Vatican. Pope Francis speaks with Secretary of State John Kerry (R) during a private audience with US President Barack Obama on March 27, 2014 at the Vatican.SAUL LOEB—AFP/Getty Images by [Elizabeth Dias](/author/elizabeth-dias/) ## Elizabeth Dias Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jun 18, 2015 2:26 PM CUT Secretary of State John Kerry called [Pope Francis’ encyclical](http://time.com/3925736/pope-francis-climate-change-encyclical-laudato-si/ "undefined") a “powerful” statement on the threat of climate change Thursday. Kerry, who is Catholic, told TIME in a statement that religious engagement on the issue will help spur agreement at the upcoming United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris. --- > “” --- Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs Sheba Crocker met with Vatican officials, including the Holy See’s Undersecretary for Relations with States Antoine Camilleri, on May 26 at the Holy See to discuss climate change and Pope Francis’ 2015 Development goals. “When he speaks on issues—whether it’s on climate change, alleviating poverty, or peace and security issues—it just has a real resonance and that’s something that we find incredibly useful,” Crocker says. “It’s so important for Pope Francis to be speaking in the way that he is—with such a clear voice. He brings such a moral authority to these questions, and his voice resonates in a way throughout the world, which we think provides him with crucial impetus—both political and moral—to help us reach an agreement in Paris at the end of the year.” It’s another sign that the Obama administration is hoping to leverage Pope Francis’ efforts on shared commitments, especially in advance of his upcoming trip to the U.S. In September. “We have really renewed energy—strong leadership from the United States, but also countries from around the world, and I think real dedication and commitment to try to reach a durable agreement in Paris, which is the historic step, obviously, at the end of this year,” Crocker tells TIME. “It’s a top priority for the administration.” U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See Ken Hackett was at the Vatican press conference Thursday morning for the encyclical’s release. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3926306/pope-francis-encyclical-climate-change-john-kerry/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3926306/pope-francis-encyclical-climate-change-john-kerry/"},"headline":"John Kerry Praises Pope Francis' Climate Change Encyclical","datePublished":"2015-06-18T14:26:27.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T08:19:46.509Z","description":"Secretary of State John Kerry praised Pope Francis' encyclical on climate change, saying that religious engagement can help spur agreement.","url":"https://time.com/3926306/pope-francis-encyclical-climate-change-john-kerry/","keywords":["faith","Environment","climate change","White House","Pope Francis topic","John F. 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