Pope Francis has joined two other global Christian leaders in an unprecedented warned that the world is facing a critical moment as the climate crisis threatens the future of the planet.
The Pope together with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the spiritual leader of the Orthodox church, and the archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, leader of the global Anglican church have called on the world population – “whatever their beliefs or worldview” – to “listen to the cry of the Earth and of people who are poor”.
Urging everyone to action, the religious leaders have invited everyone to “decide what kind of world we want to leave to future generations,” stressing that we must choose to live differently and “choose life”.
More so, God mandates that we “choose life, so that you and your children might live” (Dt 30:19).
The joint statement concludes: “This is a critical moment. Our children’s future and the future of our common home depend on it.”
The faith leaders have asked people to pray for world leaders ahead of Cop26, the global environment summit in Glasgow in November, and for individuals to make “meaningful sacrifices for the sake of the planet, working together and taking responsibility for how we use our resources”.
People with “far-reaching responsibilities” should lead the transition to just and sustainable economies.
They said: “We stand before a harsh justice: biodiversity loss, environmental degradation and climate change are the inevitable consequences of our actions, since we have greedily consumed more of the Earth’s resources than the planet can endure.
“But we also face a profound injustice: the people bearing the most catastrophic consequences of these abuses are the poorest on the planet and have been the least responsible for causing them.”
The world is “already witnessing the consequences of our refusal to protect and preserve [the planet]. Now, in this moment, we have an opportunity to repent, to turn around in resolve, to head in the opposite direction.
“We must pursue generosity and fairness in the ways that we live, work and use money, instead of selfish gain.”
For the sake of today’s children, “we must choose to eat, travel, spend, invest and live differently, thinking not only of immediate interest and gains but also of future benefits. We repent of our generation’s sin.”
Pope Francis, who is planning to make a brief appearance at the Cop26 summit, has highlighted the problem of climate breakdown and environmental sustainability since becoming pope in 2013.
His powerful encyclical, Laudato Si’, issued in 2015, emphasises overconsumption, corporate greed and individual responsibility.
