Pope Francis to COP28: Environmental destruction is ‘an offense against God’

Catholic News Agency ^ | December 2, 2023 | Courtney Mares

[ebb tide]

Pope Francis to COP28: Environmental destruction is ‘an offense against God’

Pope Francis called the destruction of the environment “an offense against God” in a message given to the participants in the U.N. climate summit on Saturday.

The keynote address that the pope had intended to give in person at the COP28 conference was distributed to the attendees in Dubai, where Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin read a shortened version of the pope’s speech to the assembly on Dec. 2.

Pope Francis, who turns 87 in two weeks, canceled his scheduled trip to the United Arab Emirates days before the climate summit at the request of his doctors after coming down with a flu infection that left him with breathing difficulties and acute bronchitis.

“Sadly, I am unable to be present with you, as I had greatly desired,” the pope said in his message to COP28.

“Even so … I am with you because the destruction of the environment is an offense against God, a sin that is not only personal but also structural, one that greatly endangers all human beings, especially the most vulnerable in our midst, and threatens to unleash a conflict between generations.”

Pope Francis would have been the first pope to attend the U.N.’s climate change conference, known as the “Conference of the Parties” (COP), which has been held annually since 1995.

Care for creation has been an important theme in Francis’ pontificate. The pope has said that he decided to write his 2015 environmental encyclical Laudato Si’ ahead of the COP21 summit in Paris and recently published a new apostolic exhortation titled Laudate Deum (“Praise God”), called climate change “one of the principal challenges facing society and the global community.”

In his message to the COP28 conference, the pope underlined the need for “multilateralism” to establish “global and effective rules” to fight climate change.

“Climate change signals the need for political change. Let us emerge from the narrowness of self-interest and nationalism; these are approaches belonging to the past,” he said.

The pope called it “disturbing” that “global warming has been accompanied by a general cooling of multilateralism, a growing lack of trust within the international community.”

“How much energy is humanity wasting on numerous wars … conflicts that will not solve problems but only increase them!” he added.

Pope Francis described environmental protections as part of “a culture of life” and underlined that attempts to shift blame for climate change onto the poor or high birth rates “must be firmly dispelled.”

“Births are not a problem, but a resource: They are not opposed to life, but for life, whereas certain ideological and utilitarian models now being imposed with a velvet glove on families and peoples constitute real forms of colonization,” he said.

“Let us join in embracing an alternative vision: this will help to bring about an ecological conversion, for ‘there are no lasting changes without cultural changes’ (Laudate Deum, 70),” the pope added.

“In this regard, I would assure you of the commitment and support of the Catholic Church, which is deeply engaged in the work of education and of encouraging participation by all, as well as in promoting sound lifestyles, since all are responsible and the contribution of each is fundamental.”

During the COP28 summit in Dubai, Cardinal Parolin will also preside over the inauguration of an interfaith pavilion at the climate conference on Dec. 3 alongside Spanish Cardinal Miguel Ángel Ayuso Guixot, an expert on Islam and current prefect of the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue.

The faith pavilion, hosted by the Muslim Council of Elders, will serve as a hub for faith-based engagement on climate issues and as the venue for more than 65 sessions with religious figures, scientists, and political leaders at the conference.

[vespa300]

The first beast being the Papacy.....idiot.

[vespa300]

Learn something...

https://www.christianity.com/bible/commentary/john-wesley/revelation/13

[Dick Bachert]

3 MINUTES OF VIDEO DYNAMITE...FROM 1965!!
If THIS doesn’t stir up the folks STILL ON THE SIDELINES, WE’RE PROBABLY NOT WORTH SAVING!!
SHARE IT EVERYWHERE. TIME IS SHORT!
https://x.com/SaltyGoat17/status/1731082933383860455?s=20

[bunkerhill7]

Mark 11:13-14
13 Seeing at a distance a fig tree in leaf, He went to see if perhaps He would find anything on it; and when He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. 14 He said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again!” And His disciples were listening.

[Peter ODonnell]

Globalists everywhere are now nervous, if it’s an offense against God, should they not be in support of it?

Difficult times for globalists, especially those stuck in Germany in the snow.

[KC Burke]

This guy is a joke and a fool. A totalitarian Pope — what a dick.

[redfreedom]

He’s a communist, plain pure and simple as that. Anyone that follows this old goats words is a commie also.

[ebb tide]

No thanks. Not interested in your garbage.

[Secret Agent Man]

He sounds kind of preachy. Did he say this from his private jet or motorcade?

[vespa300]

>>>No thanks. Not interested in your garbage.>>>

Protestant Reformation, Reformers, most of whom properly identifying the Papacy as the beast of Revelation 13, .......”garbage”...ok.

[ebb tide]

Yep, pure garbage. How come y'all have split and multiplied like rabbits?

 25 And Jesus knowing their thoughts, said to them: Every kingdom divided against itself shall be made desolate: and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand. Matthew Chapter 12.

[vespa300]

>>>Yep, pure garbage. How come y’all have split and multiplied like rabbits?>>>

Probably because we aren’t a cult worshipping a pope and a committee who tells you all what to think. We actually read the scriptures for ourselves and think for ourselves which can create some differences in doctrines. Your papacy had killed so many millions of people and buried the truth for so long, God had to take time to restore the truth and bring the light out of the darkness of Papacy rule. Lutherans, righteousness by faith, Baptists, baptism by immersion, Methodists, holy living......Adventists, restoring the Sabbath........yeah.....truth being restored as God dictated in his time.

Prophecy is right on schedule though. The Papacy’s wound has healed, your cult is back.....and will have her way again. And she hates the Sabbath...read the Catechism. She thinks she can change the 10 commandments.....and you think she can too......the Harlot and her daughters....and Sunday.

Get outta here....nobody can change the law of God....fool.

[ebb tide]

The only fools are those who reject the One, True Church founded by Jesus Christ.

Look up the Tower of Babel in your “bible”.

[Zathras]

Francis is an offense agains God.

[vespa300]

>>>The only fools are those who reject the One, True Church founded by Jesus Christ.>>>>

Fools think a church saves them. Jesus saves me. And he’s all I need. Good luck with your church, pope, and rituals.

[ebb tide]

Fools think a church saves them.

So you've just called Jesus Christ a fool:

 18 And I say to thee: That thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it  [Matthew 16:18]

Good luck without your church.

[IrishBrigade]

‘What have you been smoking?’

sounds likke he found the sacramental wine stash and overindulged...

[ebb tide]

Fools think a church saves them.

Then why do you state the following:

Lutherans, righteousness by faith, Baptists, baptism by immersion, Methodists, holy living......Adventists, restoring the Sabbath........yeah.....truth being restored as God dictated in his time.

Are all the above some of your fools?

[IrishBrigade]

‘Are all the above some of your fools?’

indulge this individual you are conversing with at your own peril...brain cells lost to deranged rantings are impossible to reclaim..

.

[vespa300]

>>>Lutherans, righteousness by faith, Baptists, baptism by immersion, Methodists, holy living......Adventists, restoring the Sabbath........yeah.....truth being restored as God dictated in his time.

Are all the above some of your fools?>>>>

Last time I checked, none of those churches claimed to be infallible, claimed to absolve sins, claim to be the Vicar of Christ, nor did they claim the authority to change the law of God, which your Pope does with the 4th commandment....see your catechism where the Sabbath is the 3rd commandment while in the Bible, it’s the 4th commandment......

Those are just churches.......not God on earth as you claim...idiot.