60 Franciscans to attend UN environmental conference
June 06, 2012
The director of the Office of Justice, Peace and the Integrity of Creation of the Order of Friars Minor told Vatican Radio that 60 Franciscans will be attending the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro later this month.
Recalling St. Francis's Canticle of the Sun, Father Joe Rozansky said that “we haven’t been caring for creation in the way that we need to do to keep things sustainable.” The priest emphasized that Franciscans are concerned not only about the environment but also about environmental justice, which integrates concern for creation with concern for social justice for the poor.
Father Rozansky added that there is increased concern about whether the United Nations and governments are serving the interests of mining and pharmaceutical companies. “What’s being sold as green economy is really in a sense an excuse to keep things going the way they have been going.”
Franciscans International, an NGO at the United Nations, will be hosting a parallel conference in Rio devoted to agro-ecological farming.
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Further information:
- World Environment Day (Vatican Radio)
- Agro-Ecology: FI Parallel Event at Rio+20 (Franciscans International)
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