I was raised in a section of Pittsburgh, Pa., known as Oakland. Throughout my childhood, an important building was St. Paul’s Cathedral, an enormous Gothic Revival style Roman Catholic church. It has dozens of large stained glass windows and a monumental Von Beckenrath pipe organ. My family attended Mass there every Sunday for years. And my siblings and I attended the parochial elementary and high schools operated by the Pittsburgh Diocese. Because Popes are the VIPs of the Roman Catholic Church, the Papacy was very important during my youth. Also important to note is that the nomination and election of John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the first Roman Catholic president in the history of our country, was ingrained into the psyche of every Roman Catholic school student as an especially miraculous event.

Being raised a Roman Catholic piqued my interest in Donald Trump’s recent interactions with Pope Leo XIV. Their exchanges, which were related to the Iran War and world peace, brought to my mind the iconic motto: “War is not healthy for children and other living things.”

Concern and care for the natural world of God’s creation has been a long standing tradition in Catholicism. Saint Francis of Assisi (1181- 1226) is famously known for his profound love for nature and animals. In a religious song he composed, titled “Canticle of the Sun,” he refers to the sun, moon and animals as his brothers and sisters. In 1979, Pope John Paul II declared St. Francis the patron saint of ecology. Climate change has become a major concern of pontiffs, especially the current pope and his predecessor Pope Francis. Pope Francis, who chose his papal name in honor of St. Francis of Assisi, made action on climate change a leading focus of his papacy. In 2015, he issued the pivotal encyclical “Laudato Si” (Praise Be To You) which was subtitled “on care for our common home.” It was the first written by a pope on the subject of the environment. His publication criticizes irresponsible economic development as well as laments environmental degradation and global warming. It calls on all people of the world to take “swift and unified global action.” Also, it launched a global network of Catholic organizations and grassroots leaders known as the Laudato Si Movement (LSM). The movement’s stated mission is to “inspire and mobilize the Catholic community to care for our common home and achieve climate and ecological justice.” LSM led to record breaking participation of Catholic institutions in their fossil fuel divestment campaign.

Since being elected to the papacy in early May 2025, Pope Leo XIV has been very involved in emphasizing the church’s desire to foster a stewardship attitude toward the environment. In July 2025, he celebrated a historic new liturgy, the Mass for the Care of Creation. In September 2025, he inaugurated an integral ecology center in Rome. In November 2025, he spoke via video message to the United Nations climate conference in Brazil where he challenged the U.N. leaders to take concrete steps to address global climate related problems. Although a coalition of state and local leaders from the United States attended that annual international conference, for the first time no official federal delegation was present. In April 2026, after attacks by Trump on social media, Pope Leo stated: “I have no fear of the Trump administration or speaking out loudly of the message of the Gospel, which is what I believe I am here to do, what the church is here to do.” The message is, of course, world peace. And no logical person of any religion can deny that wars have devastating consequences for the environment.

In addition to starting a war, Trump is busy dismantling decades of science-based public health and environmental protections. This administration’s anti-science agenda includes developing climate science reports based on disinformation, repealing EPA’s Endangerment Finding, rolling back efforts to curb greenhouse gas emissions and firing or censoring federal scientists who disagree. This president is doing all he can to wipe credible climate research off the record. In addition to benefiting the polluters, this will make life more difficult for future generations. To review accurate information about the climate crisis, stop by MOVCA’s green canopy at the Mid-Ohio Valley Multi-Cultural Festival next weekend. The event will be held, again this year, at Civitan Park in Belpre, Ohio June 19-21. MOVCA will be there with swag including fans, which are always handy to have on a hot day.

Giulia Mannarino of Belleville, is a grandmother concerned about her two granddaughters’ futures and a member of Mid-Ohio Valley Climate Action.