COP30 made history even before it began. Hosted for the first time in the Amazon, the UN climate summit brought more than 56,000 participants to Belém, transforming the city into a global hub for climate justice, Indigenous rights, and environmental protection. The Conference Of Parties for Climate Change (COP30) took place at Belem, Brazil from 10 to 21 November.
This COP clearly belonged to the Global South. The Brazilian Presidency framed the summit around mutirão—a collective effort—pushing negotiations toward implementation, finance, and forest protection. Yet disagreements over fossil fuels, trade rules, and accountability shaped the talks, leaving the final “Belém Package” ambitious in tone but cautious in commitments. Still, the Amazon offered something powerful: a unified moral voice.
Catholic Church Steps Forward
The Catholic Church emerged as one of the most visible actors at COP30. More than 100 Catholic representatives, including several cardinals and over 40 bishops, took part in public engagements. This coordinated presence, the strongest ever at a COP, was the result of months of preparation across Brazil, Latin America, and the wider Global South.
A defining moment came when the presidents of the three continental episcopal conferences of the Global South appeared together. Cardinal Filipe Neri Ferrão of Asia, Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo of Africa, and Cardinal Jaime Spengler of Latin America and the Caribbean presented a joint message titled “A Call for Climate Justice and the Common Home.” Their appeal urged governments to protect forests, deliver fair climate finance, and reject false solutions. It resonated powerfully in Belém, amplified by communities already facing the daily consequences of the climate crisis.
Just days earlier, Pope Leo XIV addressed COP30 through Cardinal Pietro Parolin, calling the ecological emergency “a spiritual and moral test for humanity” and urging nations to match words with concrete action. The Church’s presence also extended into the streets, where the interfaith “Vigil for the Earth” gathered hundreds in prayer, reflection, public march and a shared plea for climate justice.
Claretians: Prepared Before, Visible During
The Proclade International (Claretians) arrived at COP30 after months of preparation. Long before delegates reached Belém, they hosted a global webinar in August, released countdown reflections, shared formation materials, and circulated the Proclade Policy Brief outlining justice-centered expectations for the summit.
In Belém, the Proclade International was represented onsite by Fr. Rohan Dominic of the Claretian UN Team in New York, Bro. Joel Gaspar Beltrami of the Province of Brazil, and Prof. Deusdedith Ferreira Araújo, also of the Province of Brazil. They were accompanied by nine virtual participants who followed the negotiations and side events closely.
The delegation was active throughout the summit. They organized a side event with partner organizations and worked closely with the Network of Catholic Climate and Environmental Actors (NCCEA), engaging with the Holy See Delegation and collaborating with Catholic and civil society groups. Claretians also contributed to the NCCEA thematic group on education, advocating for a stronger commitment to ecological education.
Each day, the Claretian UN Team issued daily bulletins—thirteen in total—summarizing developments from negotiation rooms, protests, side events, and Church activities. These updates connected thousands of Claretians around the world to the unfolding events in the Amazon.
COP30 Outcomes and the Road Ahead
The summit concluded with mixed reactions. Countries agreed to work toward mobilizing USD 1.3 trillion per year by 2035, expand adaptation finance, and strengthen the Loss and Damage Fund. The Just Transition Work Programme also made progress. Yet negotiators avoided any reference to phasing out fossil fuels, an omission that deeply disappointed small island states, frontline communities, youth movements, and many civil society organizations. The Claretian 7 Demands had highlighted the fossil fuel phase-out as the first priority.
Attention now turns to COP31 in Antalya, Turkey, where governments will be pressed to transform the Belém commitments into action. For the Claretian Missionaries, the way forward is clear: the work continues in villages, parishes, formation houses, mission posts, classrooms, and international advocacy spaces. COP30 was not a destination but another step in the Claretian mission to defend life, stand with the poor, and care for our common home.
