Pope Francis’ Homage to Wildlife

Early in December just ahead of the successful conclusion of the COP21 climate talks in Paris, Pope Francis hosted a moving photographic homage to wildlife. This show was part of a wider initiative by the pontiff to address environmental degradation and climate change in particular.

The show was titled “Fiat Lux: Illuminating Our Common Home” and it was inspired by the Pope’s recently released “Laudato si,” meaning ‘Praise be to you,’ a phrase commonly used by Saint Francis, the Pope’s namesake. Francis of Assisi is the patron saint of animals and ecology. He is one of the most famous Saints in all of Christianity and in one well known miracle St. Francis is said to have tamed a wolf that was terrorizing the people of Gubbio.


A wolf is one of the images projected on St. Peter’s Basilica on December 8 as part of the 60-minute show in Rome. Other images included lions, pandas, wolves, tigers, birds, corals, and other species. Each image stretched hundreds of feet across the historic cathedral’s facade.

The Encyclical has cemented this Pope’s legacy as the most environmentally engaged pontiff in history.