A question for Catholics here...

[LT Barclay]

My information is often outdated, but I have alway heard that Central and South America are predominantly Catholic. I am concerned about 2 endangered species in Mexico, the vaquita the world's most endangered cetacean (https://seashepherd.org/dac-exclusive/#dac-frida) and the monarch butterfly.
My question is what would be the best way to get the pope's attention on these creatures? If he stated that their extinction would be a sin, it might change local attitudes in Mexico.

[ZDU]

1. I encourage you to use a search engine...

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2025-07/pope-leo-xiv-message-environment-clameurs-rally-in-jambville.html

I don't know of any Roman Catholics who have a direct line of communication with Pope Leo. Online searches addressing the Church and the environment, ecological impact, biodiversity, organic farming, etc. might be the best approach. I wish you the best in your efforts.

[LT Barclay]

4. Thanks.

[IbogaProject]

2. Send him a letter

Figure out the approiate way to address him and include some references to information about both problems. Maybe also figure out the Cardinal for Mexico, but that might require translating it into spanish by some one fluent with a higher education. When sending a translated letter always send a copy in the origional.

[LT Barclay]

3. I tried this one, and maybe it was to the wrong person, but I got no reply. It was to the Archdiocese of the area where

the fishermen and the vaquita live. But my suspicion is that they are too close to the problem. Kind of like leaving environmental problems to the states here, the perpetrators have too much local influence, and I'm starting to suspect that no one feels safe from the cartels. I don't know about the others, but Sierra Club and Defenders of Wildlife won't even discuss the vaquita anymore.
But I will try and find an address for the pope. Maybe send a fancy card.

[IbogaProject]

5. Old school letter

Type it on a computer and get it printed out.

His Holiness, Pope Francis
Apostolic Palace
00120 Vatican City

A standard 1-ounce letter or postcard from the USA to Vatican City requires $1.70 in postage. The easiest way to send it is by using a single USPS Global Forever stamp, or any combination of standard domestic forever stamps and additional-ounce stamps that reaches $1.70.

[LT Barclay]

7. Awesome. Thank you.

[IbogaProject]

9. You're welcome

You're welcome. It can be surprising what a well placed letter can achieve.

I wrote a senior foreign government official to suggest they work with ibogaine for substance abuse treatment and they sent one of their psychiatric board directors plus a senior treatment official to a conference of ours in Washington DC, 21 years ago. They kept working on it and revisited a year later very happy to have discovered a novel to them path.

[in2herbs]

6. The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (www.seashepherd.org) has been an active protector and defender of

the vaquita. ([e-mail]). It's a 501(c)3 charity. They might have some ideas.

[LT Barclay]

8. I follow everything I can that they are doing. I'm trying some angles on my own. I think I need to mention this one to

Jean-Michel Cousteau. His name may get him an audience with the pope.