Last week, Pope Francis, already world famous for his support of campaigns against climate change, once again spoke about the exceptional importance of ecology. According to the official Vatican media, the head of the Catholics said that the faithful should use the holy year to ask for forgiveness for sins against the environment and "to acknowledge our sins against creation, the poor and future generations."
Christians have a tradition of the Seven Acts of Mercy, which include feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, sheltering the wanderer, clothing the naked, visiting the sick, visiting the imprisoned, and burying the dead. Pope Francis proposed to expand these actions with a new paragraph dedicated to ecology and nature protection, to our entire planet: “If we look at the acts of mercy in general, we will see that the object of mercy is human life itself and everything that it covers. [..] Let acts of mercy include caring for our common home.”
Pope Francis explained his vision of the problems of our common home: “Global warming continues, partly due to human activity: 2015 was the hottest year on record, and 2016 looks set to get even hotter. This leads to more severe droughts, floods, fires and extreme weather events. Climate change is also affecting the heartbreaking refugee crisis. The poor of this world, being less responsible for climate change, are the most vulnerable and are already suffering from this impact.”
Simultaneously with these statements, Pope Francis tweeted that "The Lord has given us the land to cultivate and keep it in a balanced and respectful manner."
See also anekdotig:
- Newsletter: " Buddhist World Leaders Release Message to Paris United Nations Climate Change Conference (UNFCCC) " (October 30, 2015)
- News: " 2015 and 2016 will be the warmest years in the history of the Planet " (September 22, 2015)
- Newsletter: " March Held in the Vatican in Support of Pope Francis' Position Against Climate Change " (June 29, 2015)
- Article: “ E.S. Dalai Lama XIV: Ecology and the human heart .