28 April 2025

Pope Francis (1936-2025) was a spiritual leader who advocated for the down-trodden worldwide. Not being Catholic myself, I admit I did not know a lot about him, apart from feeling that he was a force for good, helping to bring humanity together. I have admired his humility, concern for the poor and commitment to interfaith dialog as a means to greater understanding between and amongst all people.

Only after his death did I come across the comprehensive encyclical letter “On care for our common home”, written ten years ago, which touches upon so many of the greatest concerns of our planet today. Previous popes had described the damage humans had done to Earth, and Pope Francis reiterated, “This sister [Mother Earth] now cries out to us because of the harm we have inflicted on her by our irresponsible use and abuse of the goods with which God has endowed her.”

Pope Francis appealed for a dialog on the preservation of the planet. He urged conversation that includes everyone. Coming from Argentina, he was well aware of the disproportionate impacts a consumer-driven “first world” has had on the Global South.

Despite having only 4% of the world's population, the US has contributed nearly 20% of total greenhouse gases since 1851, more than any other country.

But I digress…

Along with a lengthy itemization of ecological disasters (pollution and climate change, water scarcity, loss of biodiversity and decline in quality of life, just to name a few), Laudato Si' gives hope; progress has been made and we can do more.

Back to my corner…food is one [huge] way that we can help. We can avoid food waste (yes, don't forget about that complete waste of 40%), and also work to improve the food system for everyone. That might mean supporting local farms, regenerative agriculture or Fairtrade. It also might mean consuming less meat to free up land for direct food production (fruits, vegetables, grains and legumes) or re-wilding (to protect biodiversity and sequester carbon).

Neither you nor I can single-handedly change the culture and politics that keep us stuck in a destructive pattern, but many hands make light work. Pope Francis understood that we must all work together for the betterment of our ecosystem - we are the light. We may have mistreated our common home for two hundred years, but every day is a new opportunity to do better.

Food just so happens to be one of those situations where doing right by the planet is also great for individuals. The Planetary Health Diet supports human health, reducing risk of heart disease, diabetes, cancer and obesity. Whether your motivation is healing the Earth, managing chronic disease, finding the fountain of youth or reducing the harms caused by inhumane animal farming practices - eating more beans (or other plant based food sources) might just be the answer, and I know lots of delicious ways to use them.

Three times a day (or however often you eat), we have the chance to vote with our fork. The first step is mindfulness. When I stop to appreciate what nature has given me, I become more conscious of all that went into it - I don't want to waste that! On top of the benefits for personal and planetary health, mindfulness enhances enjoyment (and combats advertisers' messages of “never enough”). How are you being more mindful about your food choices?

It remains to be seen who will become the next leader of the Roman Catholic Church, but I do hope that the next pope will carry on Pope Francis' legacy of communication, connection, cooperation and collaboration. In the meantime, we all can do that!