Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio has paid tribute to the late Pope Francis. He called him "one of the most extraordinary spiritual leaders of our time".
The 50-year-old actor and environmentalist took to social media to pay tribute to the pontiff after he died on April 21 at the age of 88 following a stroke and heart failure.
"Pope Francis was a leader who changed not only the Catholic Church, but also reform and environmental activism. He demonstrated a deep and abiding commitment to environmental stewardship, most notably through his groundbreaking 2015 encyclical Laudato Si'. This powerful document served as a clarion call for fundamental change in the way we treat the planet. Emphasizing the interconnectedness of all life, Pope Francis called on individuals, communities, institutions and world leaders to unite in caring for our common home. His words helped spur the global COP21 conference in 2015 and ultimately helped shape the Paris Agreement," DiCaprio wrote on Instagram.
He recalled his "enlightening, deeply moving and thought-provoking" meeting with Pope Francis before the filming of the climate change documentary "Before the Flood" in 2016.
"During the filming of my documentary 'Before the Flood' in 2016, I had the honour of sitting down with Pope Francis for a conversation about the urgent need to tackle climate change. This experience was enlightening, deeply moving and thought-provoking," said Leonardo.
"In 2023, Pope Francis further developed Laudato Si' with the publication of Laudate Deum: Apostolic Exhortation on the Climate Crisis. In it, he renewed his call for immediate and decisive action on climate, reminding us that 'we are part of nature, we are included in it and therefore in constant interaction with it' and that we must not look at the world from the outside but from within. Pope Francis is one of the most extraordinary spiritual leaders of our time. His legacy will continue to inspire generations of environmentalists around the world. May he rest in peace," the actor added. | BGNES
