Protecting the world’s environment is the top of the Vatican’s agenda as today the Holy City released Pope Francis’ Encyclical that for the first time focuses on climate change.
In the correspondence, His Holiness stressed the need for us to improve our ways in order to prevent catastrophic climate change and stem growing inequality.
As a leading international agency working with poor people around the world, Oxfam is seeing the world’s most vulnerable facing greater droughts, floods, hunger and disease.
Oxfam Australia’s Chief Executive Dr Helen Szoke said:
“The call by Pope Francis reminds us that climate change is first and foremost about people.
“The gross and growing inequality between rich and poor has been made worse by the climate crisis.
“Moreover, the emissions of the rich are driving weather extremes that hit the poorest hardest.
“Only when world leaders heed the Pope’s moral leadership on these two defining issues, inequality and climate change, will our societies become safer, more prosperous and more equal.”
Notes to Editors
A Papal Encyclical is the name typically given to a letter written by a Pope to a particular audience of Bishops. This audience of Bishops may be all of the Bishops in a specific country or all of the Bishops in all countries throughout the world.
The title of the encyclical, Laudato si’, is a quotation from the religious song Canticle of the Sun. St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of the environment, is said to have written the song that praises God for the creation of the different creatures and aspects of the Earth. The encyclical is also given the Italian subtitle: “Sulla cura della casa comune,” (On the care of the common home).
For interviews, please contact Laurelle Keough on 0425 701 801 or laurellek@oxfam.org.au (Thursday) or Louise Perry on 0414 456 015 or louisep@oxfam.org.au (Friday)
Comments are closed.