Written by Staff Writer at CNN, Laurel Ross.
Pope Francis is asking young people to safeguard the planet and to take the lead in challenging its challenges as the so-called “litmus test” of their new era.
Addressing thousands of young people gathered in the Argentine capital’s Plaza de Mayo, Francis said they mustn’t let themselves be led “by culture of waste, by the invisible hand of the market.”
Bishops at a peace march calling for a world free of nuclear weapons on the margins of the congress. Credit: MIGUEL MEDINA/AFP/AFP/Getty Images
“From this young age, you are called to take up the great moral and spiritual challenge of our time, which is to seek good in others, and to know how to reach out to others and make a firm commitment to serve others in truth and charity,” he said.
‘Climate neutrality’
On Monday, a host of government and religious leaders urged global leaders to take ambitious action to reduce carbon emissions in the lead-up to the COP24 UN climate conference taking place in Poland next month.
Pope Francis appeared to address leaders of the Church and business sector, urging them to work together in the fight against global warming. Credit: EUROPEAN PRESSPHOTO AGENCY/ALESSANDRO D’ALESSANDRO
“As I recall the words of the poet Dante Alighieri, ‘Love always seemed to be the work of saints, but when we started to notice, we found that in the mass of humanity, the people who are ordinary, like us, still feel the demands of our everyday life, and make themselves available to Jesus.'”
When the world looks to you, it asks you to serve and to listen to it. #ThinkAlongFaith #FeedMyFaith #WorldCallOut pic.twitter.com/XltkPt4nGE — POPE FRANCIS (@Pontifex) October 25, 2018
The Pope used his address to address the ministers and representatives of the Church, business, academia and civil society gathered in the square, and to denounce the scourge of global warming.
“We must not only generate but also use and utilize energies in a way that is environmentally sustainable,” he said.
“We cannot change human nature by wishes or wishes alone. Mankind cannot live and survive in the environment created by God,” he added.
All together now: #EarthParty2018 in Buenos Aires – a call to action for ‘Climate Neutrality’ as part of the #365DaysOfAction movement in collaboration with #WhereIsYourHabit ? #HereIAm pic.twitter.com/0yzpcRs34V — After Earth | #WorldCallOut (@AfterEarth) October 27, 2018
According to statistics released by the Vatican, the average global temperature has risen by 0.85 degrees Celsius (1.37 Fahrenheit) since 1850.
Earlier this month, Pope Francis expressed dismay that the world’s political leaders could not take an effective action to address climate change at the G-20 Summit in Argentina.