by Philip Pullella
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) – Pope Francis on Thursday called on world leaders to hear the cries of distress from an Earth plagued by global warming, extreme weather and biodiversity loss.
In a message published Thursday in view of the World Day of Prayer for the Safeguarding of Creation, scheduled for September 1, the sovereign pontiff urges world leaders to tackle global warming with the same determination that prevails in the face of other international issues such as wars or health crises.
Stressing that the climate crisis weighs first on the poorest and indigenous peoples, Pope Francis referred to the “ecological debt” of the rich countries, responsible for most of the pollution generated over the last two centuries, which taints the “sweet song of Creation”.
“Unfortunately, this sweet song is accompanied by a bitter cry. Or rather, by a chorus of bitter cries. First, it is our sister, mother earth, who cries out. At the mercy of our consumerist excesses, she groans and begs us to stop our abuse and its destruction,” the pope wrote in his message.
This appeal, made public while several European countries are still fighting forest fires after the heat wave of the past few days, comes as the sovereign pontiff is due to begin a three-day trip to Canada on Sunday.
During this stay, Pope Francis plans in particular to travel to Iqaluit, in the Canadian Arctic – one of the areas of North America experiencing the fastest warming where he will meet communities of indigenous peoples.
(Report Philip Pullella, French version Myriam Rivet, edited by Kate Entringer)
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