Since taking on the ministry of Bishop of Rome, Pope Francis has made care for the environment one of his signature contributions to the Church and the world.
A number of experts and world leaders were excited about the possibility of Pope Francis attending the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, Scotland, from Oct. 31 to Nov. 12. It seems, however, that the Pope will not be attending the summit. Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said that the Vatican delegation would be led by the secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, second in line at the Vatican. While no official explanation was given, many speculate that it may be too soon for the pope to take on such an arduous trip so soon after his surgery in July.
In preparation for this gathering in Scotland, Pope Francis met with some 40 faith leaders representing the world’s major religions at the Vatican to sign a joint appeal to governments to act decisively to combat climate change and “to safeguard, restore and heal our wounded humanity and the home entrusted to our stewardship.” The attending faith leaders represent 84 percent of the world’s population that identity with faith and religion. They included most mainline Christian denominations, the two dominant branches of Islam (Sunni and Shi’a), Judaism, Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Zoroastrianism and Jainism. The Christian signers besides the Pope included Bartholomew I, the ecumenical patriarch of Constantinople; Metropolitan Hilarion of the Russian Orthodox Church, representing Patriarch Kirill of Moscow; and Archbishop Justin Welby of Canterbury, representing the Anglican Communion.
It was just six years ago on this date, Oct. 4, when Christians commemorate the Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi, the patron of the environment, that Pope Francis published the encyclical “Laudato Si,” the groundbreaking document believed to be the catalyst for many governments signing the Paris Climate Accords, in which nearly 200 countries signed on to limit global warming to below two degrees Celsius. Now six years later, experts will gather in Glasgow for the latest initiative, “Faith and Science: An Appeal for COP26,” in an attempt to curb greenhouse gas emissions worldwide. It is an appeal for religion and science to work together to save the planet.
In his brief remarks, Pope Francis thanked all of the participants at the signing. He said that their very presence “clearly shows our desire for a deepened dialogue among ourselves and with scientific experts.” He added, “COP26 in Glasgow represents an urgent summons to provide effective responses to the unprecedented ecological crisis and the crisis of values that we are presently experiencing and, in this way, to offer concrete hope to future generations. We want to accompany it with our commitment and our spiritual closeness.”
He said their gathering, which brings “together many cultures and spiritualities in a spirit of fraternity, can only strengthen our realization that we are members of one human family. Each of us has his or her religious beliefs and spiritual traditions, but no cultural, political or social borders or barriers prevent us from standing together to illumine and direct this openness. Let us commit ourselves to a future shaped by interdependence and co-responsibility.”
Pope Francis chose to only speak for two minutes rather than his allotted 10 minutes. He asked that his written speech be read later. In his written remarks he touched on the following: 1. “Everything is connected; in our world, everything is profoundly interrelated. Science, but also our religious beliefs and spiritual traditions, have stressed this connectedness between ourselves and the rest of creation.” 2. “This commitment must constantly be driven by the dynamism of love, for ‘in the depths of every heart, love creates bonds and expands existence, for it draws people out of themselves and towards others.’” 3. “The challenge to work for a culture of care for our common home, but also for ourselves, is one that inspires hope, for surely humanity has never possessed as many means for achieving this goal as it possesses today.” 4. “That care is also a call to respect: respect for creation, respect for our neighbor, respect for ourselves and for the Creator, but also mutual respect between faith and science, in order to enter into a mutual ‘dialogue for the sake of protecting nature, defending the poor, and building networks of respect and fraternity.’”
May all God’s children work tirelessly to protect our island home, Earth, for the sake of the future generations to come that they may live in greater environmental health and peace!
Father Joseph D. Wallace is diocesan director of Ecumenical and Inter-religious Affairs and pastor of Christ the Redeemer Parish, Atco.
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