--- title: Leaders Hope Pope Leo Will Continue Francis's Climate Legacy description: An invitation has already been extended to Pope Leo XIV to attend this year’s COP30 U.N. climate conference in Brazil. canonical: https://time.com/7284583/world-leaders-pope-leo-francis-climate-legacy/ author: Simmone Shah article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2025-05-09T19:31:17.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-03-11T00:28:46.306Z article:section: Climate og:title: Leaders Hope Pope Leo Will Continue Francis's Climate Legacy og:description: An invitation has already been extended to Pope Leo XIV to attend this year’s COP30 U.N. climate conference in Brazil. og:url: https://time.com/7284583/world-leaders-pope-leo-francis-climate-legacy/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc1cbef830597a3c4/6998c68aa97fc07c48a74568/leo-climate.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: Conclave Elects Pope Leo XIV og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Leaders Hope Pope Leo Will Continue Francis's Climate Legacy twitter:description: An invitation has already been extended to Pope Leo XIV to attend this year’s COP30 U.N. climate conference in Brazil. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc1cbef830597a3c4/6998c68aa97fc07c48a74568/leo-climate.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # World Leaders Call on Pope Leo XIV To Continue Francis's Climate Legacy > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Future Proof: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition Future Proof is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Making sense of the climate and energy economy. Future Proof examines the forces transforming energy and climate, and what those changes mean for business, technology, policy and the global economy. Senior correspondent Justin Worland goes beyond traditional climate coverage to connect the energy transition to the bigger decisions reshaping companies, markets and society. 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It reaches 40,000 subscribers with a 34.2% open rate and a 2.1% click rate as of August 2026. #### Where can I follow the energy transition as a business story? Future Proof covers climate and energy as an economic and business story rather than only an environmental one. It publishes every Friday and is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who writes Future Proof? Justin Worland, a senior correspondent at TIME and an award-winning climate journalist, writes Future Proof. #### Is Future Proof free? Yes. Future Proof is free at time.com/newsletters.  by [Simmone Shah](https://time.com/author/simmone-shah/)  ## Simmone Shah Reporter May 9, 2025 7:31 PM UTC  The newly elected Pontiff, Pope Leo XIV is seen for the first time from the Vatican balcony on May 8, 2025 in Vatican City, Vatican. The newly elected Pontiff, Pope Leo XIV is seen for the first time from the Vatican balcony on May 8, 2025 in Vatican City, Vatican. Christopher Furlong—Getty Images  by [Simmone Shah](https://time.com/author/simmone-shah/)  ## Simmone Shah Reporter May 9, 2025 7:31 PM UTC After a brief, two-day deliberation, a new pope to lead the Catholic Church has been selected to succeed Pope Francis, [who died on April 21](https://time.com/5762436/pope-francis-dies-obituary/). Robert Prevost, the first American Pope in history, took the name Pope Leo XIV, and appeared on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica on Thursday evening. Much remains to be seen on where Pope Leo will stand on key issues—the cardinal is known to be reserved. But he is steering the Catholic Church at a time where the world is facing a number of pivotal crises—from geopolitical conflicts in Ukraine, the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia, to global issues regarding migration, human rights, and the climate crisis. [**_Read More:_** _Where Pope Leo Stands on Specific Issues_](https://time.com/7283887/pope-leo-lgbtq-women-migrants-rights/) Global leaders including[ U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres](https://time.com/collection/earth-awards-2023/6272884/antonio-guterres-climate-change-apology-great-great-granddaughter/) and Brazil’s president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva hope that, when it comes to the climate crisis, Leo might take up the mantle of Pope Francis, whose strong climate advocacy earned him the moniker of “[the Climate Pope](https://time.com/7278986/pope-francis-environment-climate-legacy/).” An invitation has also already been extended to Pope Leo to attend this year’s COP30 U.N. climate conference in Brazil. Little is known about Pope Leo’s commitment to environmental activism, but some indications show that he might be willing to prioritize the climate fight. Last year, speaking at a Rome seminar to discuss the global impacts of the climate crisis, Prevost said that it was time to move “from words to action,” according to an [article](https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2024-11/climate-change-conference-latin-america-cardinals-rome.html) published by the Vatican’s official news source. “‘Dominion over nature’—the task which God gave humanity—should not become ‘tyrannical.’ It must be a ‘relationship of reciprocity’ with the environment,” the _Vatican News_ described him saying. Following this week's announcement, a handful of influential global decision makers expressed their optimism that Pope Leo might continue on with Pope Francis’s climate legacy. “Our world is in need of the strongest voices for peace, social justice, human dignity and compassion,” [said](https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/sg/statement/2025-05-08/secretary-generals-statement-the-election-of-pope-leo-xiv?%5Fgl=1%2Auy3o1l%2A%5Fga%2AMjE0MzA2OTY4NS4xNzM4NzcxOTY4%2A%5Fga%5FTK9BQL5X7Z%2AczE3NDY3OTc2MzYkbzIyJGcwJHQxNzQ2Nzk3NjM2JGowJGwwJGgw%2A%5Fga%5FSCSJZ3XC0L%2AczE3NDY3OTc2MzYkbzEkZzAkdDE3NDY3OTc2MzYkajAkbDAkaDA.%2A%5Fga%5FS5EKZKSB78%2AczE3NDY3OTc2MzYkbzkkZzAkdDE3NDY3OTc2MzgkajU4JGwwJGgw) Guterres. “I look forward to building on the long legacy of cooperation between the United Nations and the Holy See – nurtured most recently by Pope Francis – to advance solidarity, foster reconciliation, and build a just and sustainable world for all.” No time was wasted in inviting the new Pope to this year’s annual U.N. climate summit. "The COP30 Presidency hopes to welcome Pope Leo XIV in Belém in November to help us reach a climate agreement that will mark a turning point in the creation of a more prosperous, safer, fairer, and sustainable future," Ana Toni, the summit's CEO, said in a [statement](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/ana-toni%5Fas-the-climate-crisis-reaches-unprecedented-activity-7326323057441042432-ODTg?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAABr4W-8B2OjaOYc7VaMrYN9hY%5FOU1r%5F8L04). And in a [statement](https://x.com/LulaOficial/status/1920558353220026527) posted on Thursday, Brazil’s Lula da Silva also expressed hope that Pope Leo might continue in the footsteps of his predecessor on several fronts—including climate. Brazil, which has one of the largest Catholic populations in the world, is already facing the impacts of the climate crisis. “I hope that he will continue the legacy of Pope Francis, whose main virtues were the incessant search for peace and social justice, the defense of the environment, dialogue with all peoples and all religions, and respect for the diversity of human beings.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/7284583/world-leaders-pope-leo-francis-climate-legacy/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/7284583/world-leaders-pope-leo-francis-climate-legacy/"},"headline":"World Leaders Call on Pope Leo XIV To Continue Francis's Climate Legacy","datePublished":"2025-05-09T19:31:17.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-11T00:28:46.306Z","description":"An invitation has already been extended to Pope Leo XIV to attend this year’s COP30 U.N. climate conference in Brazil.","url":"https://time.com/7284583/world-leaders-pope-leo-francis-climate-legacy/","keywords":["Sustainability","climate change","healthscienceclimate"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc1cbef830597a3c4/6998c68aa97fc07c48a74568/leo-climate.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Simmone Shah","jobTitle":"Reporter","url":"https://time.com/author/simmone-shah/"}],"articleSection":"Climate","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc1cbef830597a3c4/6998c68aa97fc07c48a74568/leo-climate.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Conclave Elects Pope Leo XIV","caption":"Conclave Elects Pope Leo XIV","creditText":"Christopher Furlong—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/climate/","name":"Climate"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/sustainability/","name":"Sustainability"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/7284583/world-leaders-pope-leo-francis-climate-legacy/","name":"World Leaders Call on Pope Leo XIV To Continue Francis's Climate Legacy"}}]}] ```