With the selection of Robert Prevost as the new head of the Catholic Church, who will be taking up the name Pope Leo XIV, many are wondering about his views on various topics and, as it turns out, the new pope has been quite outspoken on climate technology.
Indeed, Cardinal Prevost seems to share a lot of views on the environment with his predecessor, the late Pope Francis, and has called for urgent climate action, as well as voicing his support for the use of climate technology like solar panels and electric vehicles (EVs), per a report by Fastcompany.com on May 8.
Robert Prevost and his environmental views
According to The College of Cardinals Report, Prevost has also argued that the Church needed to move “from words to action,” warning against the “harmful” consequences of unchecked technological development and advocating for a reciprocal, non-tyrannical relationship with the environment.
Specifically, he shared his views at a conference in Rome in late November 2024. Notably, the conference had brought together Cardinals, experts, as well as the previous pope, to discuss climate change and its negative effects on the most vulnerable, as Vatican News reported.
At the time, Prevost, acting as the president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America and Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, stressed that “dominion over nature” – the task which God gave humanity – should not become “tyrannical.” It must be a “relationship of reciprocity” with the environment.
He also reiterated the Holy See’s commitment to protecting the environment, listing examples like the Vatican installing solar panels and shifting to EVs.
Meanwhile, Prevost has attracted some controversy as an X post from February surfaced in which he appears to criticize the United States Vice President JD Vance over his interpretation of the Bible, in which he referred to ‘ranking’ one’s love for others, writing that Vance is “wrong.”
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