On November 10-22, 2025, Brazil hosted the 30th United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP30). The meeting took place in Belém, in the Brazilian state of Pará, located in the heart of the Amazon. Belém is a city where urban vitality, dense forest, and abundant rivers coexist, alongside the historical presence of indigenous peoples, riverside communities, and Afro-descendant communities.
This global event brought together delegations from 195 countries, civil society organizations, academic representatives, indigenous peoples from various regions, and faith-inspired movements. Franciscans International (FI) was present to represent the Franciscan Family at this event. Representatives from other men’s and women’s religious institutes were present along with lay people who were concerned about our common home and committed to caring for it. Friar Vicente Imhof (Delegation in Peru) and Friar Erick G. Marín Carballo (Provincial Custody of Mary, Mother of Mercy in Central America) were present on behalf of the Conventual Franciscan Order.
For two weeks, intense negotiations, discussions, and meetings took place in what was called the Blue Zone, the official working space. A final document was produced at the end of the conference that showed some progress on financing and climate adaptation, but also a certain frustration at the lack of concrete political commitments, including the absence of a roadmap for the reduction or elimination of fossil fuels.
The COP30, however, was not limited to what took place in the official negotiations pavilion. The richness of the meeting was especially evident in some parallel activities: mobilizing civil society, listening to the demands of indigenous peoples, hearing the voice of the younger generations, and looking at the growing role of the Churches in the face of the climate emergency. Music and culture opened paths of dialogue, encouraged hope, and reminded us that there were many other forms of communication that can express what words and official documents cannot.
In the light of faith, and through our charismatic values, we Franciscans recognize we have a role to play. We are united by our Gospel responsibility to protect life, human dignity, and the balance of ecosystems. We know that the ecological crisis has systemic roots and that we are called to raise awareness about it in order to bring about profound change. We share the struggles and hopes of many communities around the world, where we recognize the seeds of the Kingdom being planted, and hear the constant invitation to rebuild the Church, relationships, and the common home we share.
-friar Erick G. Marín Carballo OFM Conv.
