Launching Laudato Si’ Week 2026 on May 17, Bishop Martin Hayes issued a statement reflecting on the encyclical’s legacy and welcoming the news that Ireland will co-host a conference on the fossil fuel crisis.
“Last year the Irish Bishops’ Conference backed Trócaire’s call on the Government of Ireland to support the Fossil Fuel Treaty (Oct 2025),” said Bishop Hayes. “The recent fossil fuel crisis has highlighted just how dependent the global economy is on the supply of oil and gas in particular. Our current crisis gives more urgency to the need to transition away from fossil fuels and to embrace renewable sources of energy.”
Referencing Pope Francis’ encyclical on ‘Care for Our Common Home’, he said the challenges identified in Laudato Si’ are “more relevant today than they were ten years ago,” and the bishop highlighted Pope Francis’ statement that “technology based on the use of highly polluting fossil fields needs to be progressively replaced without delay” as a key priority.
In light of this priority, Bishop Hayes welcomed the news that Ireland will co-host the “Second Conference on Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels” in 2027. This was announced on April 30 by Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment Darragh O’Brien.