MassIPL’s Fran Ludwig Meets the Pope

Oct 29

Written By Michael Reed

Email from Massachusetts Interfaith Power & Light

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MassIPL’s Fran Ludwig Meets the Pope

Fran Ludwig meets Pope Leo XIV during the Rising Hope Conference.

Fran Ludwig, a member of MassIPL’s Executive Committee and a longtime advocate for climate justice, had the honor of meeting Pope Leo XIV during the Raising Hope Conference in Castel Gandolfo, Italy, earlier this month.

Initially, Fran had planned to attend the conference virtually, as part of a global celebration of Pope Francis' encyclical Laudato Si’—a call to action for the world to care for the Earth and its most vulnerable inhabitants.

When the conference organizers sent her a special invitation to attend in person, Fran was taken by surprise. As she shared with the Lexington Observer, “I was like, oh my gosh… Well, I can’t do that because I have a nature walk coming up and a special Mass soon, so I couldn’t possibly.”

However, by the time the Executive Committee met for our annual retreat in September, she had made up her mind to go to Rome—and, of course, we wholeheartedly encouraged her to attend. In addition to her work with MassIPL, Fran is a leader in the Boston Catholic Climate Movement and one of the founders of the very first Laudato Si’ chapters in the United States.

Over 1,000 people from 80 countries attended the conference, and 30 attendees—including Fran—had the opportunity to meet with Pope Leo before the conference began. The group spent several days in early October reflecting, praying, and discussing climate justice and the role of faith in ecological transformation. Religious leaders, scientists, activists, and communities shared experiences, challenges, and commitments that are now being transformed into concrete actions.

Pope Leo XIV blesses a block of melting glacial ice.

Fran shared a particularly powerful and poignant moment: Pope Leo blessed a block of 20,000-year-old glacial ice from Greenland, which had broken away from a glacier due to climate change. The Pope used this visual to dramatically emphasize the cry of the Earth and the poor in a warming world.

“In our tradition, water holds great significance for baptism and cleansing,” Fran said. “The Pope blessed this water from the glacier, and later there was a ceremonial mixing of waters from all over the earth.”

During the conference, Pope Leo referenced his predecessor’s writings and said: “Some have chosen to deride the increasingly evident signs of climate change, to ridicule those who speak of global warming, and even to blame the poor for the very thing that affects them the most.”

Pope Leo continued: “God will ask us if we have cultivated and cared for the world that He created for the benefit of all and for future generations, and if we have taken care of our brothers and sisters—what will be our answer, my dear friends?”

Fran took this message to heart and is bringing the call to action home. “We have to act now,” Fran emphasized. “The urgency of the climate crisis is too great to ignore.” She shares MassIPL's core conviction that working on behalf of the environment is not only good science but also central to our religious values and morals. “We need people of faith to step up. Some people may not be motivated by science, but we are all called to live out our moral values.”

Fran shared that her home parish, Sacred Heart in Lexington, is working to center Laudato Si’ as a foundational part of its identity and mission. And having safely returned from her trip, Fran also shared how the Vatican is working to lead by example. Vatican City plans to become the world’s first carbon-neutral state, transforming a 1,000-acre field into an extensive solar farm. Fran and others visited Borgo Laudato Si’, a new educational and economic project recently inaugurated by Pope Leo, located on the papal property in Castel Gandolfo. Dedicated to Pope Francis’ vision of integral ecology, the project includes solar-powered classrooms, a greenhouse, farmland, and gardens—promoting sustainability, a circular economy, and care for creation.

Conference attendees: Fran Ludwig pictured top row, forth from right.

Fran’s work continues to inspire and challenge others to take action for climate justice. At MassIPL, we are proud to have her on our team, leading the charge for a sustainable, just future where faith and science work together to heal our planet.

If you would like to join us and Fran in renewing a vision for faith and a sustainable future—as a volunteer, Executive Committee member, supporting donor, or partnering organization—please reach out. We can’t all do everything, but we can all do something.

When we align our values with the care of creation and the most vulnerable, and work together, we create a force that spans the globe—from the melting ice in Greenland to drought-stricken communities longing for clean water. Just as importantly, as Fran’s example reminds us, we create a force that makes a lasting local difference, right where we are.

Do you have a story to share?

MassIPL is committed to sharing a wide range of stories from diverse religious traditions and faith expressions. If you have a story you'd like us to highlight, we’d love to hear from you!

Next spring, we’ll be launching a new series called Sustainable Faith, an interfaith storytelling project that connects personal religious experiences with environmental care and climate action. (Originally scheduled for this fall, the series is now part of Rev. Michael Reed's Fellowship project with Interfaith America.) We are still welcoming submissions and would love to hear from all faith traditions.