‘Possible collapse’ of Earth’s livability

Jul 14, 2018

By Joshua J. McElwee
The Vatican’s Secretary of State warned July 5 that humanity is facing a “possible collapse” in the Earth’s ability to sustain life, as part of a twoday conference hosted by the Catholic Church to urge global leaders to mitigate the devastating impacts of climate change.

In an address at the opening of the Saving Our Common Home event, Cardinal Pietro Parolin said there is a “clear urgency” to the task and that people around the world, “as members of the common household, need to come together.”

The Vatican’s Dicastery for Integral Human Development hosted the July 5-6 event for some 400 global faith leaders, scientists and politicians with hopes to influence separate meetings later this year of the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the UN Climate Change Conference.

The conference was pegged to the third anniversary of the publication of Pope Francis’ 2015 environmental encyclical Laudato Si’: On Care for our Common Home.

Cardinal Peter Turkson, the head of the dicastery, opened the event by saying the planet is “on the brink of an un-precedented global catastrophe.” He said effects of climate change, including warming temperatures and rising sea levels, “place a question mark on the very future of human existence.”

“Is our world listening? Or do we find new ways of inviting our world to listen?” Turkson asked, before telling participants: “That will be part of the task of our gathering here.”

Following Parolin and Turkson’s talks July 5, the conference started off with presentations from five young people from different continents.

(This article first appeared on NCRonline.org, the Website of National Catholic Reporter, and is being used with permission)