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The climate is a common good, belonging to all and meant for all. [...] The Earth, our home, is beginning to look more and more like an immense pile of filth.

Pope Francis

Encyclical *Laudato Si’* on care for the environment, **2015** · Checked on 2 March 2026
The climate is a common good, belonging to all and meant for all. [...] The Earth, our home, is beginning to look more and more like an immense pile of filth.

Analysis

The first clause—'The climate is a common good, belonging to all and meant for all'—appears in **Section 23** of the encyclical, framing climate as a shared responsibility. The second—'The Earth... an immense pile of filth'—is a direct quote from **Section 21**, critiquing pollution and waste. Both passages align with the document’s central theme of ecological conversion and are widely cited in official Vatican publications and media reports.

Background

*Laudato Si’* (2015) is Pope Francis’s second encyclical, focused on environmental stewardship, climate change, and social justice. It marks the first papal document dedicated entirely to ecology, blending scientific consensus with Catholic teaching. The phrases reflect the encyclical’s urgent tone, which links environmental harm to ethical failures and calls for global action.

Verdict summary

Pope Francis did make this statement in *Laudato Si’* (2015), verbatim in Sections 23 and 21, respectively, emphasizing environmental degradation as a moral crisis.

Sources consulted

— Vatican.va. [*Laudato Si’* (Full Text)](http://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/encyclicals/documents/papa-francesco_20150524_enciclica-laudato-si.html) (Sections 21, 23). 2015.
— National Catholic Reporter. [*Pope’s encyclical calls for ‘ecological conversion’*](https://www.ncronline.org/news/earthbeat/popes-encyclical-calls-ecological-conversion). 2015.
— The Guardian. [*Pope Francis: climate change is a moral issue*](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jun/18/pope-francis-climate-change-moral-issue-laudato-si). 2015.