St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City was lit up with images of nature, wildlife, climate change and humans worldwide Dec. 8. This contemporary art display, called "Fiat Lux: Illuminating Our Common Home," was organized by Connect4Climate, and was planned to run alongside the COP21 climate summit, reported National Geographic.
The exhibition was intended to be a gift to climate-conscious Pope Francis as he announced the beginning of the Holy Year earlier that day. The Pope has been lauded as progressive and open-minded since he was instated, and he released an encyclical letter in May that showed the Vatican's concern over the way humans have been treating the planet, according to the Times of Malta.
The Pope wrote that the earth "now cries out to us because of the harm we have inflicted on her by our irresponsible use and abuse of the goods with which God has endowed her. We have come to see ourselves as her lords and masters, entitled to plunder her at will," according to the letter on La Santa Sede, the Vatican's website.
The encyclical continued and explained that change is possible and achievable. "The urgent challenge to protect our common home includes a concern to bring the whole human family together to seek a sustainable and integral development, for we know that things can change," said the letter.
The light show contained the work of world-famous nature and wildlife photographers, and was curated by Louie Psihoyos and Travis Threlkel, and was produced by Obscura Digital. "This critical time in history is when we must reach people in creative ways to illuminate what is happening to our common home," said Threlkel, according to EcoWatch.
