Vatican City
Reuters
Pope Francis made an impassioned plea for protection of the environment on Wednesday’s 50th anniversary of the first Earth Day, saying the coronavirus pandemic had shown that some challenges had to be met with a global response.
Francis praised the environmental movement, saying it was necessary for young people to “take to the streets to teach us what is obvious, that is, that there will be no future for us if we destroy the environment that sustains us”.
Pope Francis greets members of the media after leading a Mass and the Regina Coeli prayer in Rome’s Santo Spirito in Sassia church without public participation due to an outbreak of the coronavirus disease, in Rome, Italy, on 19th April. PICTURE: Reuters/Remo Casilli
The Pope, who wrote a major encyclical in 2015 on the defence of nature and the dangers of climate change, dedicated his general audience – broadcast from his library because of the coronavirus lockdown – to the theme.
Recounting a Spanish proverb that God always forgives, man sometimes forgives but nature never forgives, Francis said: “If we have deteriorated the Earth, the response will be very ugly.”
RELIGIOUS REPRESENTATIVES TO UN CALL FOR “URGENT” ACTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE
Religious representatives have called for “ambitious” and “urgent” action on climate change in a statement to the UN.
In a statement released on Earth Day, the Interfaith Liaison Committee to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change expressed its support for the decision to postpone the annual UN climate summit in light of the coronavirus outbreak but said that in the aftermath of the crisis, “[w]e must not return to relaunching fossil fuel subsidies and unhealthy consumption patterns”.
“We proclaim loudly that we were already living in a state of emergency prior to COVID-19,” the statement said. “We have a responsibility to ensure we do not return to behaviours which, as the current crisis has shown, leave the vast majority extremely vulnerable to hardship and suffering after only a few weeks of economic stagnation. “
The religious representatives also made note of the” trauma, anxiety, vulnerability and loss of life around the world caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, especially among already vulnerable communities”.
“We are appalled by the increase in human rights violations, including racism, extreme surveillance, xenophobia, misuses of emergency powers and domestic violence,” they said, adding that they nonetheless “remain hopeful”
“[W]e see people of all faiths and across all borders rising to a powerful call of solidarity, kindness, and support, adjusting our lives for the greater good, looking into creative and simple solutions to show care for one another. We also witness more time for reflection.”
Dr Isabel Apawo Phiri, deputy general secretary of the World Council of Churches, voiced her support for the statement.
“As we have proven our ability to act together in solidarity for our one human family, now is the opportune time to make fundamental changes to our economic and social systems in order to preserve God’s creation and the future of our children and grandchildren. There can be no real recovery without socio-economic justice.”
– DAVID ADAMS
A landmark in the emergence of the environmental movement when it first took place in 1970, this year’s Earth Day has prompted calls from many, including UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, for governments to pursue “green recovery” in response to coronavirus.
Both the Pope and Guterres have made environmental protection and climate change signature themes of their offices.
“We see these natural tragedies, which are the Earth’s response to our maltreatment,” Francis said. “I think that if I ask the Lord now what he thinks about this, I don’t think he would say it is a very good thing. It is we who have ruined the work of God.”
Saying the Earth was not an endless deposit of resources to exploit, he said: “We have sinned against the Earth, against our neighbour and, in the end, against the creator.”
Last year, after a synod of bishops from the Amazon region, Francis said he was considering adding a definition of “ecological sins” in the Roman Catholic Church’s Catechism, a compendium of teachings and rules.
Francis, like Guterres, has likened the response to environmental dangers to that of the coronavirus.
“Only together, and looking after the most fragile [members of society] can we win global challenges,” the Pope said.
So far, massive economic stimulus packages launched by the United States, China and European governments have focused mainly on staunching the damage to existing industries and staving off the threat of a global depression.
But ministers from Germany, France and other EU members have signalled their support for subsequent interventions to align with climate goals, a theme taken up by climate campaign groups around the world.
