This is the week many of us have been waiting for. Pope Francis landed in DC last night with a warm welcome from President Obama. By now, he’s already chipping away at the busy schedule of his multi-city American tour. The few days that the Pope is present in the District marks a historic moment, one that I hope we all remember as groundbreaking for the climate.
These next few days will be hectic to say the least, but they will be bountiful in progress. This morning, in his first address to the American public, Pope Francis applauded President Obama’s efforts to curb emissions. And the Pope’s inclination to pontificate about climate action during his U.S. tour probably won’t stop there.
For the first time in history, a Roman Catholic Pope will be addressing a Joint Session of Congress. What makes this phenomenon more significant is that Pope Francis will speak on the heels of releasing a powerful teaching on climate change that holds no patience for the polarized politics of Congress. It’s a moral call to save our common home.
Pope Francis’ encyclical, Laudato Si’, calls on all men and women of good will to take a stand for the future of the home that we all share, not to mention to take a stand for each other.  Climate change is no longer just an environmental issue. It is a moral one. With so much opportunity to transition to clean energy, it is a shame that federal action on climate is largely at a standstill in the U.S. Congress. This is why we must come together to stand with the Pope and #FollowFrancis in his call for widespread, robust climate action across the political realm.
The Pope’s visit to D.C. has spurred action across the city. This week climate, social, faith and environmental activists alike have hosted a number of actions to call upon our leaders to take charge on addressing the injustice of climate change.  CCAN’s very own National Campaign Director, Ted Glick, has now been fasting with fellow Beyond Extreme Energy members for 16 days in a call to halt the approval of any new permits for fossil fuel projects by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Tonight the Franciscan Action Network is hosting an Interfaith Overnight Prayer Vigil where faith and civic leaders will offer inspiring messages of hope, justice and peace in light of a changing climate.
Perhaps one of the more crowd-attracting actions will occur tomorrow morning, September 24th, on the National Mall as the Pope addresses Congress. Thousands of people, from near and far, will gather on the Mall early tomorrow morning for the Moral Action for Climate Justice rally to follow Pope Francis’ lead and underscore the moral imperative of the climate crisis. Featuring prominent musical artists and over forty-five speakers, this rally will vocalize the immense support for action before our Congressional leaders as they listen to Pope Francis’ words.
As citizens of the United States, we have the power to exercise our civic duty and call upon our leaders to advance smart climate policies now. Our duty is more than just civic though – it is ultimately moral. The United States has such great untapped power to catalyze the clean energy revolution. Together we must ensure that America accomplishes a large-scale transition from a dirty fossil-fueled economy to one of clean power and minimized externalities. United together, we can step in that direction today.
Take action now by emailing your U.S. Representative and urging him or her to cosponsor the Healthy Climate and Family Security Act. This bill would force polluters to pay for the emissions they spew into our common home, while cycling 100% of the revenue back to American households. CCAN will be out on the National Mall tomorrow morning, rallying up support for this bill which would take on the biggest job on the planet – getting rid of carbon. Email your legislators now and then join us on the National Mall tomorrow morning at 7:30 AM to showcase your support for climate action. A carbon-free future is one that we deserve and we have an immense opportunity to make that future a reality. Let’s act now, together. The future is in our hands.