The weekly papal audience has become a tradition every Wednesday morning, in St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City. After delivering a sermon that is then translated into various languages, the Pope walks around the square, greeting thousands of people from all over the world who usually scramble to ask for blessings, take selfies, or just shake hands with the world’s most prominent Catholic figure. However, sad news came in the last few weeks, when the Pope passed away from a cardiac arrest, on April 2025. Pable wants to preserve the Pope’s memory by talking about his most famous idea; ecological conversion.
Pable goes back a few months ago, when the term “ecological conversion” appeared on the Indonesian political radar, as an expression of concern about the distance of religious adherents –in this incredibly religious country– from the roles of environmental protection. Ecological conversion is a framework of thought based on spiritual and ecological values, initiated by Pope Francis who has served as Pope of the Catholic Church since 2013 until 2025. Ecological conversion means the projection of the spiritual obedience of religious people -in this context, Catholics- in the form of environmental protection.
The term ecological conversion comes from Pope Francis’ encyclical entitled “Laudato’ Si” or “Praise be to You” which was published in 2015. In this writing, he underlines how religious people are indifferent to the environmental crisis. Pope Francis likens the earth to a “sister” who cares for and nurtures, who is “screaming” in pain due to our actions. This encyclical discusses in depth the forms of environmental crises that are occurring, starting from the climate crisis, pollution, waste crisis, loss of biodiversity, water crisis, to economic disparity and the decline in human life expectancy due to environmental problems. Pope Francis connects these real problems with the wisdom of stories from the Bible. Not stopping there, Pope Francis offers sustainable solutions to these problems, both individually and structurally. This is where the term ecological conversion emerges, offered as a framework for thinking that as religious people who believe in the existence of God, we must strive to appreciate and protect God’s work, namely the universe; that crimes against nature are sins against ourselves and sins against God.
In Laudato’ Si, Pope Francis quotes Saint Francis of Assisi –who is also his role model and the reason he chose Francis as his papal name– on how a healthy relationship with the environment is one dimension of the integral conversion of the human being. This ecological conversion needs to foster a sense of gratitude for God’s gifts, the interdependence of living beings, and also accountability or a sense of responsibility for nature.
This admiration for Pope Francis’ thinking prompted Pable to examine his personal background. Jorge Mario Bergoglio –Pope Francis’ birth name– was the first Latin American to be elected Pope. Born and raised in Argentina, his activism was so strong that he was criticized by conservatives for his thoughts, especially his opinion that the church needs to be more open to the LGBTQIA+ community and calling for the decriminalization of the community worldwide. Pope Francis is also a vocal critic of capitalism and consumerism –as seen in Laudato’ Si, where he views the climate crisis as being caused by humanity’s greed for resources without taking responsibility for nature–. Mainstream media often portrays Francis as a reformer Pope who embraces progressive values.
The call for ecological conversion needs to be addressed as a call that goes beyond a religious call. Pope Francis wrote in his capacity as Pope, so it is not surprising that the discussion in Laudato’ Si refers to Catholic teachings. However, it would be better if this writing was read and absorbed by everyone. Pope Francis also emphasized that this ecological conversion is not an individual call, but a communal call – both to policy makers and to world citizens in general. This conversion –like conversion in other matters– is also not optional or secondary. Ecological conversion is a responsibility, an obligation of humans as the main subject in environmental problems that arise. If it is not carried out, not only will the spiritual relationship between humans and creation and the Creator be damaged but also humans themselves will feel the destruction. Borrowing the spirit of Pope Francis, technological, economic, and scientific developments if not accompanied by social and moral developments, will ultimately work against us humans.
