As U.S. Visit Nears, Pope Francis Points to Climate
Change
by Thomas D. Williams, Ph.D. 12 Sep 2015
As Pope Francis prepares to embark on his first trip ever
to the United States, on Friday he spoke
of the “urgency of climate change” while indicating two “crucial events”
looming on the ecological horizon: the approval of the objectives of
sustainable development by the United Nations at the end of this month and the Paris Climate Conference at the beginning of December.
The Pope was addressing a meeting organized by the
“Foundation for Sustainable Development,” a Rome-based nonprofit think tank, on the
topic of environmental justice and climate change.
The climate, Francis said, is a common good, that is now
seriously threatened, as shown by phenomena such as climate change, global
warming and the increase in extreme weather events.
The Pope said that the issue of climate change is “hotly
debated” by scientists and politicians, and although he indicated an “emerging
consensus,” Francis acknowledged that it is “not unanimous.”
Last May, the Pope released an encyclical letter
called Laudato Sì, on “the care for our common home,” dealing with a
string of environmental topics, including climate change, in which he
encouraged open debate and discussion on environmental issues.
On Friday, the Pope said that climate change carries with it
“serious social implications” and stated that “it is the poorest who suffer the
consequences with the greatest severity!”
With a nod to climate skeptics, Francis invited everyone to
the table to discuss responsible stewardship of the environment, recognizing
that no one has all the answers. Responsibility means a willingness to
dialogue, he said, “and accepting that one’s own contribution will be called
into question.”
The Pope called for a “transparent” dialogue including all
stakeholders, which may come as a welcome remark after many who question the
science behind global warming felt excluded from talks in the Vatican
last spring, where opposing voices were silenced.
In June, Bishop Mario Toso,
who co-wrote the first draft of the Pope’s encyclical, denied that Pope Francis
had any intention of “canonizing” scientific theories regarding climate change,
but only wished to assert his authority on the moral level.
Toso, who was secretary of the Pontifical Council for
Justice and Peace at the time of the drafting of the encyclical, said that in
the encyclical letter the Pope sought to offer “reflections on the
anthropological and ethical issues” related to the care of creation, but that
he did not wish to “impose” the results of scientific studies on anyone or to
confer his moral authority on scientific opinions.
“Everyone knows that many opinions today considered
‘scientific’ are not irrefutable or incontrovertible,” he said.
Catholic
Pope Francis I
is the pope for the Roman Catholic
Church.
Note: Daniel N. DiNardo
is a cardinal for the Roman Catholic
Church, and a trustee at the Catholic
University of America.
Timothy M. Dolan
is a cardinal for the Roman Catholic
Church, and a trustee at the Catholic
University of America.
Roger M. Mahony
is a cardinal for the Roman Catholic
Church, and was a trustee at the Catholic
University of America.
Adam
J. Maida is a cardinal for the Roman
Catholic Church, and was a trustee at the Catholic University of America.
Edwin F. O'Brien
is a cardinal for the Roman Catholic
Church, and was a trustee at the Catholic
University of America.
Sean Patrick
O'Malley is a cardinal for the Roman
Catholic Church, and a trustee at the Catholic
University of America.
Justin
Francis Rigali is a cardinal for the Roman
Catholic Church, and was a trustee at the Catholic University of America.
Edward
M. Egan was a cardinal for the Roman
Catholic Church, and a trustee at the Catholic
University of America.
Francis E. George
was a cardinal for the Roman Catholic
Church, and a trustee at the Catholic
University of America.
Carolyn
Y. Woo is a trustee at the Catholic
University of America, and the president & CEO for the Catholic Relief Services.
Open
Society Foundations was a funder for the Catholic Relief Services, the Atlantic
Council of the United States (think
tank), the Human Rights Watch,
and the Center for American Progress.
George
Soros is the founder & chairman for the Open Society Foundations, was a benefactor at the Human Rights Watch, a supporter for the
Center for American Progress, and
the chairman for the Foundation to
Promote Open Society.
Foundation
to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Human Rights Watch, the Center
for American Progress, the Climate
Reality Project, and the Brookings
Institution (think tank).
John J.
Studzinski is a director at the Atlantic
Council of the United States (think
tank), a director at the Human
Rights Watch, and a papal knighthood
knight.
papal knighthood
is an honor conferred by pope from the Roman
Catholic Church.
Morton H. Halperin
is a senior adviser at the Open Society
Foundations, a director at the Millennium
Challenge Corporation, and was a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress.
Kenneth F.
Hackett was a director at the Millennium
Challenge Corporation, and the president of the Catholic Relief Services.
Michael
Ryan was the VP for the Millennium
Challenge Corporation, and a controller for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Christine
Todd Whitman was a director at the Millennium
Challenge Corporation, and an administrator for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Cassandra Q. Butts
is a senior adviser for the Millennium Challenge Corporation, was a
deputy White House counsel for the Barack
Obama administration, and the SVP for the Center for American Progress.
Carol M. Browner
is a director, senior fellow at the Center
for American Progress, was the energy czar for the Barack Obama administration, an administrator for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA),
and a director at the Climate Reality
Project.
Climate
Reality Project is a merged organization with the Alliance for Climate Protection, and was a merged organization with
The Climate Project.
Albert
A. Gore Jr. is the chairman for the Climate
Reality Project, and a senior adviser for Google Inc.
Google
Inc. was a funder for the Brookings
Institution (think tank).
Sheryl K.
Sandberg was a VP for Google Inc.,
a trustee at the Brookings Institution (think
tank), and is a director at the ONE
Campaign.
Susan
McCue was the founding president & CEO for the ONE Campaign, and is a director at the Millennium Challenge Corporation.
Dana
J. Hyde is the CEO for the Millennium
Challenge Corporation, and was an attorney at Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr.
Cameron F. Kerry
was an associate at Wilmer Cutler
Pickering Hale and Dorr, is John F.
Kerry’s brother, and a fellow at the Brookings
Institution (think tank).
John
F. Kerry is Cameron F. Kerry’s brother,
the secretary at the U.S. Department of
State for the Barack Obama
administration, and married to Teresa
Heinz Kerry.
Teresa Heinz
Kerry is married to John F. Kerry,
an honorary trustee at the Brookings
Institution (think tank), the chair for the Heinz Endowments, was married to H. John Heinz III, and Donald W. Wuerl was the deacon at her wedding
to John Heinz III.
Drue
Heinz is a director emeritus at the Heinz
Endowments, a director at The Paris
Review, and was H. John Heinz III’s
stepmother.
H. John Heinz III
was married to Teresa Heinz Kerry, and
Drue Heinz’s stepson.
Donald W. Wuerl
was the deacon at Teresa Heinz Kerry’s
wedding to John Heinz III, a trustee
at the Catholic University of America,
and a cardinal for the Roman Catholic
Church.
Carolyn
Y. Woo is a trustee at the Catholic
University of America, and the president & CEO for the Catholic Relief Services.
Pope Francis I
is the pope for the Roman Catholic
Church.
papal knighthood
is an honor conferred by pope from the Roman
Catholic Church.
Carl A. Anderson
is a trustee at the Catholic University
of America, a supreme knight for the Knights
of Columbus, a board member for the Vatican
Bank, was a commissioner for the U.S.
Commission on Civil Rights, and an advisory board member for the Wheelchair Foundation.
Vatican
Bank is the bank for the Vatican
and the Roman Catholic Church.
Mikhail Gorbachev
is an advisory board member for the Wheelchair
Foundation, was the general secretary for the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR).
Arnold
Palmer is an advisory board member for the Wheelchair Foundation, and a member of the Augusta National Golf Club.
Warren E. Buffett
is a member of the Augusta National Golf
Club, and Susan A. Buffett &
Howard G. Buffett’s father.
Susan A. Buffett
is Warren E. Buffett’s daughter, and
a director at the ONE Campaign.
Howard
G. Buffett is Warren E. Buffett’s
son, and a director at the ONE Campaign.
Susan
McCue was the founding president & CEO for the ONE Campaign, and is a director at the Millennium Challenge Corporation.
Dana
J. Hyde is the CEO for the Millennium
Challenge Corporation, and was an attorney at Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr.
Cameron F. Kerry
was an associate at Wilmer Cutler
Pickering Hale and Dorr, is John F.
Kerry’s brother, and a fellow at the Brookings
Institution (think tank).
Cyrus F.
Freidheim Jr. is an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank), and a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago.
Francis E. George
was a member of the Commercial Club of
Chicago, a cardinal for the Roman
Catholic Church, and a trustee at the Catholic
University of America.
R.
Eden Martin is the president of the Commercial
Club of Chicago, and counsel at Sidley
Austin LLP.
Newton
N. Minow is a member of the Commercial
Club of Chicago, and a senior counsel at Sidley Austin LLP.
Barack
Obama was an intern at Sidley Austin
LLP.
Michelle
Obama was a lawyer at Sidley Austin
LLP, and an advocate for the ONE
Campaign.
United
Nations Foundation is a partner with the ONE Campaign.
Ted
Turner is the chairman for the United
Nations Foundation, and an honorary board member for Green Cross International.
Green Cross International
Ted Turner (USA) is an honorary board member for Green Cross International.
Mikhail Gorbachev
is the founder for Green Cross
International, an advisory board member for the Wheelchair Foundation, was the general secretary for the Communist Party of the Soviet Union,
and the Union of Soviet Socialist
Republics (USSR).
Carl A. Anderson
was an advisory board member for the Wheelchair
Foundation, a commissioner for the U.S.
Commission on Civil Rights, is a trustee at the Catholic University of America, a supreme knight for the Knights of Columbus, and a board member
for the Vatican Bank.
Vatican
Bank is the bank for the Vatican
and the Roman Catholic Church.
Pope Francis I
is the pope for the Roman Catholic
Church.
Daniel N. DiNardo
is a cardinal for the Roman Catholic
Church, and a trustee at the Catholic
University of America.
Timothy M. Dolan
is a cardinal for the Roman Catholic
Church, and a trustee at the Catholic
University of America.
Roger M. Mahony
is a cardinal for the Roman Catholic
Church, and was a trustee at the Catholic
University of America.
Adam
J. Maida is a cardinal for the Roman
Catholic Church, and was a trustee at the Catholic University of America.
Edwin F. O'Brien
is a cardinal for the Roman Catholic
Church, and was a trustee at the Catholic
University of America.
Sean Patrick
O'Malley is a cardinal for the Roman
Catholic Church, and a trustee at the Catholic
University of America.
Justin
Francis Rigali is a cardinal for the Roman
Catholic Church, and was a trustee at the Catholic University of America.
Edward
M. Egan was a cardinal for the Roman
Catholic Church, and a trustee at the Catholic
University of America.
Francis E. George
was a cardinal for the Roman Catholic
Church, and a trustee at the Catholic
University of America.
Carolyn
Y. Woo is a trustee at the Catholic
University of America, and the president & CEO for the Catholic Relief Services.
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