Vatican envoy tells Copenhagen summit: environmental problems reflect a moral crisis
December 18, 2009
Speaking to the UN climate-change summit in Copenhagen, the Vatican’s representative said that efforts to avoid environmental problems should be see “as an urgent response to the cultural and moral crisis of man, whose symptoms have long been evident all over the world.”
Archbishop Celestino Migliore, the permanent observer for the Holy See at UN headquarters, emphasized the moral dimension of environmental challenges during his English-language address to the assembly at Copenhagen. He underlined the connection between respect for the natural world and respect for natural law. Citing the statements of Pope Benedict XVI—particularly the Pope’s message for the World Day of Peace—the archbishop asked: “How can we hope that future generations respect the natural environment when our educational systems and laws do not help them to respect themselves?”
Archbishop Migliore said that proper stewardship of the environment will entail changes in human behavior. “While technical solutions are necessary, they are not sufficient,” he said. He explained that proper education, alerting people to the necessity of caring for the environment, is the most urgent need.
In fact, programs raising consciousness about the environment have already produced positive results, the archbishop continued. “These initiatives have already started to build up a mosaic of experiences and achievements marked by a widespread ecological conversion.”
Archbishop Migliore reminded his audience that the Holy See has matched its public statements with practical actions, implementing its own “green” policies. The Vatican, he reported, “is making significant efforts to take a lead in environmental protection by promoting and implementing energy diversification projects targeted at the development of renewable energy, with the objective of reducing emissions of CO2 and its consumption of fossil fuels.”
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Further information:
- Holy See Efforts to Take a Lead in Protecting Environment (VIS)
- Statement of the Holy See (full text of Archbishop Migliore's address)
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