Pope, other faith leaders sign climate appeal
Pope Francis and dozens of religious leaders yesterday signed a joint appeal to governments to commit to ambitious targets at the upcoming UN climate conference, while promising to do their own part to lead their faithful into more sustainable behaviour.
“We have inherited a garden” we must not leave a desert to our children,’’ said the appeal, which was signed at a formal ceremony in the Apostolic Palace before being handed over to the head of the COP26 conference, Alok Sharma.
For religious leaders, care for the environment is a moral imperative to preserve God’s creation for future generations.. It’s an argument Francis has made repeatedly and most comprehensively in a 2015 encyclical, “Praised Be’’ and was echoed yesterday by imams, rabbis and patriarchs who shared how their faith traditions interpreted the call, many of them insisting that faith and science must listen to each other to save the planet.
“Faith and Science: An Appeal for COP26’’ is the latest initiative to rally momentum and outrage ahead of the October 31-November 12 summit in Glasgow, Scotland.