2023-12-03 14:40:34
The Cardinal Secretary of State, Pietro Parolin, during the second day of the summit of heads of state on climate, came to the podium of COP28 to deliver Francis’ message. A robust demonstration, combining protection of Creation and science, to encourage decision-making in favor of the development of renewable energies, supporting education for sustainable lifestyles and the elimination of fossil fuels.
Marine Henriot – Special envoy to Dubai, United Arab Emirates
“Unfortunately, I cannot be present among you as I would have liked, but I am with you because the time is serious.” So begins the speech of the one who should have been the first Pope to go to a COP, the United Nations international conference on climate change. It is being held this year from Thursday November 30 to Tuesday December 12 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Following the advice of doctors, the Sovereign Pontiff was forced to cancel his visit. This Saturday, December 2, in the giant anthill of the COP which welcomes 97,000 people, it was the Secretary of State of the Holy See, Pietro Parolin, who delivered Francis’ speech in front of an audience of heads of state and of governments. There are 140 people participating in the climate summit which takes place Friday December 1st and Saturday December 2nd.
The destruction of Creation, a sin
Since the beginning of his pontificate, Francis has sought to demonstrate that the destruction of Creation is a sin. It is on this point that his speech opened in Dubai:
“I am with you because the devastation of creation is an offense against God, not only a personal but also a structural sin which affects human beings, especially the weakest, a serious danger which weighs on each and every one of us. risks triggering conflict between generations”
Recalling that climate change is caused by greenhouse gas emissions of human origin, the words of the Sovereign Pontiff denounce a “will to produce and possess [qui] turned into an obsession and led to limitless greed that made the environment the object of unbridled exploitation.
Obstacles towards a sustainable path
He wanted to go to COP28 in Dubai, but his doctors advised him against it due to lung inflammation. For the first time, a Sovereign Pontiff would have taken…
Continuing his demonstration, François listed the obstacles that hold decision-makers in a path that is unsustainable for the ecosystem.
First, the fact of prioritizing the protection of income, “sometimes justifying itself on the basis of what others have done in the past, with periodic referrals of responsibility.”
Then come attempts to place the responsibility “on the many poor people and on the number of births”. A fabricated argument, however often used, and again dismantled by Francis, “It is not the fault of the poor since almost half of the world, the poorest, is only responsible for barely 10% of polluting emissions , while the gap between the few rich and the many poor has never been so abysmal.
The full text of the Holy Father’s intervention at the United Nations Conference on Climate Change, read on December 2 in Dubai by the Secretary of State of …
The poorest are those who emit the least greenhouse gases, but are nevertheless the first victims. “Let us think about indigenous populations, deforestation, the tragedy of hunger, water and food insecurity, induced migratory flows,” added François, before recalling that births were not a problem, but a resource. Thus, as the Holy See has been asking for many years, the question of debt cancellation is essential. “Appropriate means should be found to eliminate the financial debts that weigh on various peoples, also in light of the ecological debt owed to them.”
Multilateralism as a way out
In front of decision-makers who might be tempted to neglect the power of multilateralism, Francis recalled that it was also the key in the fight against climate change.
“It is worrying, in this sense, that global warming is accompanied by a general cooling of multilateralism, by a growing mistrust of the international community.”
A rebuilding of multilateralism is also essential for peace: “How much energy is humanity wasting in so many ongoing wars, such as in Israel and Palestine, in Ukraine and in many other parts of the world : conflicts which will not solve the problems but will increase them! How many resources are wasted on armaments, which destroy lives and ruin the common home!”, launched Cardinal Parolin, endorsing the words of Francis, before renewing the call to transform the funds devoted to arms into a global fund to eradicate hunger.
This COP must be a turning point
The move is already historic. Pope Francis is traveling to Dubai for his 45th apostolic trip, entirely dedicated to COP28. The United Nations conference on…
The publication of Praise God a few weeks before the launch of this COP28 is an encouragement and warning launched to decision-makers: “Let this COP be a turning point: let it demonstrate a clear and tangible political will, leading to a decisive acceleration of the ecological transition”.
In a COP28 which is already extraordinary and which aims to be historic, the Holy See proposes four pillars to be developed to escape the self-destructive spiral in which humanity has plunged: energy efficiency, renewable sources, the elimination of fossil fuels and education for lifestyles less dependent on them.
800 years after its composition, the Canticle of the Creatures of Saint Francis of Assisi must remain a source of inspiration for humanity: “After this night of struggle, carried in his soul by a spiritual experience, he wanted to praise the Most High for these creatures that he could no longer see, but that he felt were his brothers and sisters, because they came from the same Father and shared with other men and women.”
“And, with God’s help, let us emerge from the night of wars and environmental devastation to transform the common future into a dawn of light,” concludes Francis’ message, to the applause of the COP28 plenary hall.
The United Nations conference on climate change opens this Thursday, November 30 in Dubai. For a dozen days, representatives and delegations from 198 countries,…
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