Pope Francis sends video message
to UN Climate Action Summit
Pope Francis sends a video message to participants at the
United Nations Climate Action Summit 2019, taking place in New York on
September 23.
The full text of the Holy Father's message is
below:
Greetings to participants at the UN Climate Action Summit
2019.
I
would like to thank the United Nations Secretary-General, Mr António Guterres,
for convening this meeting and for drawing the attention of Heads of State and
Government - and of the entire international community and world public opinion
- to one of the most serious and worrying phenomena of our time: climate
change.
This is one
of the principal challenges we have to face. To do so, humanity is called to
cultivate three great moral qualities: honesty, responsibility and courage.
With
the Paris Agreement of 12 December 2015, the international community became
aware of the urgency and need for a collective response to help build our
common home. However, four years after that historic Agreement, we can see that
the commitments made by States are still very "weak", and are far
from achieving the objectives set.
Along with
so many initiatives, not only by governments but by civil society as a whole,
it is necessary to ask whether there is a real political will to allocate
greater human, financial and technological resources to mitigate the negative
effects of climate change and to help the poorest and most vulnerable
populations, who suffer the most.
While the
situation is not good and the planet is suffering, the window of opportunity is
still open. Despite everything. Let us not let it close. Let us open it with
our determination to cultivate integral human development, to ensure a better
life for future generations. “Although the post-industrial period may well be
remembered as one of the most irresponsible in history, nonetheless there is
reason to hope that humanity at the dawn of the twenty-first century will be
remembered for having generously shouldered its grave responsibilities."
With
honesty, responsibility and courage we have to put our intelligence "at
the service of another type of progress, one which is healthier, more human,
more social, more integral", capable of placing economy at the service of
the human person, building peace and protecting the environment.
The problem
of climate change is related to issues of ethics, equity and social justice.
The current situation of environmental degradation is connected with the human,
ethical and social degradation that we experience every day. This forces us to
think about the meaning of our models of consumption and production, and the
processes of education and awareness, to make them consistent with human
dignity. We are facing a "challenge of civilization" in favor of the
common good. This is clear, just as it is clear that we have a multiplicity of
solutions that are within everyone's reach, if we adopt on a personal and
social level a lifestyle that embodies honesty, courage and responsibility.
I would
like these three key words - honesty, courage and responsibility - to be at the
heart of your work today and tomorrow.
Thank you very much.
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