Pope Francis Announces New Suburban Solar Plant That Will Power Vatican

There is no country in the world where all its energy comes from renewable sources, but this situation is set to change soon.

In a letter published June 21 titled “Brother Sun,” Pope Francis announced his intention to transition the Vatican to 100% renewable energy using solar panels.

The apostolic letter issued “motu proprio,” or on the pope’s own initiative, detailed a plan to use the Vatican’s multifunctional land, located 11 miles from Rome in the area known as Santa Maria di Galeria.

Here, in addition to agricultural land, is the infrastructure necessary for Vatican Radio’s transmissions, and the area is large enough to install enough solar panels to power the entire Holy See.

The pope has been urging nations to take the climate crisis more seriously for years. In 2022, the Vatican joined the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, a global agreement among nations to address “dangerous human interference with the climate system,” but he has been more forthcoming individually than as head of state of the world’s smallest country.

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“The pope identifies the burning of fossil fuels as a major driver of climate change…” the New York Times reported in 2023. “He dismisses crisis deniers and accuses wealthy individuals, corporations and countries of selfishly turning a blind eye.”

Brother Sun was released on the solstice, which ironically was a day of rain and clouds over much of Italy, especially in the north.

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