In the audience with the British delegation of “Interfaith Leaders from Greater Manchester”, Francis reaffirmed the “urgent need to protect the environment” and to work especially with young people to face the effects of climate change.
DIARY OF HUILA, REFLECTIONS
When the Industrial Revolution broke out in England in the 18th century, the Manchester chimneys belching black smoke against the sky became one of the symbols of galloping progress that ushered in a new era in Great Britain. But it is also, and it is not immediately perceived, the beginning of a process that little by little will have repercussions everywhere in terms of contamination. Francis took this signal upon receiving a delegation from the “Interfaith Leaders from Greater Manchester”, an interfaith group from the British metropolis that saw “enormous technical and economic progress” spread along with “an undoubted negative impact on the human environment and natural”.
The tragic effects of degradation
The Pope thanked the delegation, stressing “the urgent need to protect the environment” and “work concretely to face the effects of climate change”, all in light of the values expressed in Laudato si’.
Indeed, it is increasingly clear that our commitment today to safeguard creation, a gift from God, must be part of a broader effort to promote an integral ecology that respects the dignity and worth of every human person and recognizes the tragic effects of environmental degradation on the lives of the poor.
The common good versus the “disposable”
In a word, Francis reaffirms, it is about “recognizing that the environmental crisis and the social crisis of our time are not two separate crises, but a single crisis, which “requires the creation of new and clear-sighted economic models”.
But it also requires determination to overcome the throwaway culture, the throwaway culture, generated by consumerism and globalized indifference, which inhibits efforts to address these human and social problems from the perspective of the common good.
forward-looking policies
The Pope also appreciates the concrete testimony offered by the interfaith group, the importance of the “important role” played “in contributing to a much-needed ecological conversion, based – says Francis – on the values of respect for nature, sobriety, human solidarity and concern for the future of society.
An essential aspect of this contribution is your commitment, as men and women of faith, to shape the minds and hearts of young people and support their need for a change of direction and forward-thinking policies that aim at human development. sustainable and comprehensive.