Posted on 07/21/2022 4:14:07 PM PDT by ebb tide
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Humanity can no longer ignore the cries of the earth that is suffering due to greed and the excessive consumption of its resources, Pope Francis said.
In his message for the World Day of Prayer for Creation, the pope said the current climate crisis is a call for men and women, especially Christians, to “repent and modify our lifestyles and destructive systems.”
“The present state of decay of our common home merits the same attention as other global challenges such as grave health crises and wars. Living our vocation to be protectors of God’s handiwork is essential to a life of virtue; it is not an optional or a secondary aspect of our Christian experience,” he wrote in his message, which was released by the Vatican on July 21.
The theme of the World Day of Prayer for Creation, which will be celebrated Sept. 1, is “Listen to the voice of creation.”
Reflecting on the theme, the pope said that there is “a kind of dissonance” when one listens to the “voice of creation.”
“On the one hand, we can hear a sweet song in praise of our beloved Creator; on the other, an anguished plea, lamenting our mistreatment of this our common home,” he said.
The pope said the earth has fallen “prey to our consumerist excesses” and to a “tyrannical anthropocentrism,” an attitude in which people think they are the center of the universe. Such an attitude is at odds “with Christ’s centrality in the work of creation.”
Exaggerated self-centeredness, he said, has led to the loss of biodiversity and the extinction of countless and has greatly impacted the lives of the poor and vulnerable indigenous populations.
“As a result of predatory economic interests, their ancestral lands are being invaded and devastated on all sides, provoking a cry that rises up to heaven,” he said.
Furthermore, the pope said, younger generations feel “menaced by shortsighted and selfish actions” and are “anxiously asking us adults to do everything possible to prevent, or at least limit, the collapse of our planet’s ecosystems.”
Pope Francis said the Vatican’s July 6 accession to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement was made “in the hope that the humanity of the 21st century will be remembered for having generously shouldered its grave responsibilities.”
While the goal of limiting the increase of the earth’s temperature “is quite demanding,” the pope said it also serves as a “call for responsible cooperation between all nations” to confront the climate crisis by reducing net greenhouse gas emissions to zero.
Presenting the pope’s message at the Vatican press office July 21, Canadian Cardinal Michael Czerny, prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, said Pope Francis’ message served as a call for bolder action by world leaders attending “this year’s COP27 and COP15 summits on climate change and biodiversity.”
“The planet already is 1.2°C hotter, yet new fossil fuel projects every day accelerate our race toward the precipice,” Cardinal Czerny said. “Enough is enough. All new exploration and production of coal, oil and gas must immediately end, and existing production of fossil fuels must be urgently phased out.”
In his message, the pope highlighted the need to change “models of consumption and production, as well as lifestyles” and transform them into something respectful of creation and integral human development.
“Underlying all this,” the pope wrote, “there is need for a covenant between human beings and the environment, which, for us believers, is a mirror reflecting the creative love of God, from whom we come and toward whom we are journeying.’
“The transition brought about by this conversion cannot neglect the demands of justice, especially for those workers who are most affected by the impact of climate change,” the pope added.
He also expressed his hope that the COP15 summit on biodiversity, which will be in December in Montreal, will adopt new agreements that will “halt the destruction of ecosystems and the extinction of species.”
Emphasizing the principles needed to prevent “the further collapse of biodiversity,” the pope appealed to the mining, oil, forestry, real estate and agribusiness industries to “stop destroying forests, wetlands and mountains, to stop polluting rivers and seas, to stop poisoning food and people.”
“How can we fail to acknowledge the existence of an ‘ecological debt’ incurred by the economically richer countries, who have polluted most in the last two centuries,” Pope Francis said.
“Even the economically less wealthy countries have significant, albeit ‘diversified’ responsibilities in this regard,” he added. “Delay on the part of others can never justify our own failure to act. It is necessary for all of us to act decisively. For we are reaching a breaking point.”
Apparently the Pope has abandoned Catholicism for the Wiccan religion
Whoa. Nice face-palming, there. And quite appropriate. We already HAVE a covenant…and it ain’t with Mother Nature.
In the end days, people will worship the earth
Current Pope has his priorities screwed up.
Right!
For his sake I hope he’s crazy, but I wouldn’t bet the farm on it.
Well, maybe the funny farm!
Lol! ;-)
:-D
"Subdue [the earth]; rule over .. every living thing."
Humanity is not told to make agreements with animals or the environment.
The Pope's instruction is in conflict with Holy Scripture (again). "Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and any city or house divided against itself will not stand." (Matthew 12:25)
How about putting him in a straitjacket and locking him up in a rubber room? This man is looney tunes.
Francis is a communist hiding behind a cross.
Love that scene.
The one with Pia Zadora?
The covenant to concern himself is between man and God.
This guy is bat crap crazy or/and evil.
I’m terrible about movie and actor details except for a few like “The Three Amigos” or “PeeWee’s Big Adventure”.
Please don’t judge me.
🤣🤣🤣
I’m startin’ to wonder about the bear ...
Two problems: One, if the Filipinos don't let people invest in our huge natural gas deposit in the West Philippine sea, China is there to take it over (indeed, they have been blocking the Philippines for two years by claiming they own it, despite international law that denies their claim).
The second problem? It will hurt middle class and poor people. Tricycles (motorcycle side cars used as a local taxi), jeepneys, etc will cost more, as will buses and trains. So commuting to work will cost more.
Cooking with LPG (i.e. propane) will be too expensive (they'll have to use wood, which causes a lot more pollution).
And of course the price of food will skyrocket: Fertilizer is already gone up (even our organic fertilizer has doubled in price), the cost of using a handplow (cultivator to prepare fields for rice), thresher, harvester, rice drier, etc will go up because they use diesel. And of course, the price of shipping our rice to Manila will go up.
But hey, poor people don't have to eat do they?
And then the bishops wonder why so many in the Philippines are joining other churches that stress Jesus rather than ecology.
IIRC, the Old Testament has something to say on the matter.
I hadn’t seen that in years!!!!
So hilarious!!!
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
(Covenant between humanity, environment needed, pope says)
Like a 7-year covenant. That would be super cool 😎.
For like, ‘Peace and Security’ - yeah, that’s the ticket!
What could possibly go wrong?
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