Pope and Hope

23rd July 2023

The Pope has encountered extreme heat while travelling to lead Masses in other countries, as have the people in the large crowds who travel to hear him speak.

He also led his Angelus Mass in St. Peter's Square.

Pope Francis said on Sunday that recent heat waves across many parts of the world and flooding in countries such as South Korea showed that more urgent action was needed to tackle climate change. https://t.co/lcKaO59PqH

— Reuters Science News (@ReutersScience) July 23, 2023

Of the climate crisis he said:

"It is an urgent challenge, it cannot be postponed, it concerns everyone. Let us protect our common home."

Pope Francis has spoken on Climate Change for some years now.

A few more statements that would be relevant:

From the Church of Wales:

God’s Earth is crying out for our care and if we do not urgently limit greenhouse gas emissions and the destruction of species we will permanently disfigure our common home preventing billions of God’s children from flourishing.

The Church in Wales recognises responsible stewardship of creation is integral to Christian discipleship and, given the urgency of the situation, commit to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions to zero as quickly as practically possible, embedding care for the natural world into all aspect of Church life from worship and teaching to the sustainable management of buildings, land, and financial resources.

From the Church of England:

We believe that responding to the climate crisis is an essential part of our responsibility to safeguard God's creation and achieve a just world. Climate change hits hardest the poorest countries and poorest people of the world. Meantime, the widespread destruction of the natural world is a crisis for creation.