POPE FRANCIS HOPES ‘CRY OF THE EARTH AND OF THE POOR’ IS HEARD

Sun 31 October 2021:

On Sunday, Pope Francis urged people to pray so that “the cry of the Earth” is heard at the United Nations climate summit in Glasgow.

Addressing worshippers in St Peter’s Square, the pontiff said he hoped the crucial conference can offer “effective answers” for future generations.

“Today in Glasgow, in Scotland, the UN Summit on Climate Change is starting, COP26. Let us pray so that the cry of the Earth and the cry of the poor will be heard and that this meeting may give effective answers offering concrete hope to future generations,” he said.

Francis has made care for the planet’s fragile environment a key plank of his papacy.

“It is time to act, and to act together” against climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic and poverty, Pope Francis also warned in a text made public on Sunday by the Italian daily Il Corriere della Sera.

Denouncing “an ecological crisis” and “a social crisis (…) made deadly by a health crisis”, the pope said that these crises also represent “opportunities” and a chance to “learn from mistakes committed in the past”.

“It is time to think big, to rethink our priorities (…) and to re-plan our future. It is time to act, to act together, it is time”, concluded the spiritual leader of the world’s estimated 1.3 billion Catholics.

The pope’s plea came as G20 leaders met in Rome to agree on a goal of keeping global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels this century.

The leaders of the world’s 20 richest countries, which account for more than 75% of greenhouse gas emissions, were debating what promises they are willing to make to keep global temperatures from rising. What they agree on is considered as critical in setting the tone for the COP26 talks in Glasgow.

_____________________________________________________________________________

FOLLOW INDEPENDENT PRESS:

TWITTER (CLICK HERE)
https://twitter.com/IpIndependent