International accords needed to protect environment, Pope tells incoming ambassadors
December 17, 2009
Free eBook:
|
| Free eBook: Thinking like a Catholic |
Pope Benedict XVI reiterated his concern about “the continual degradation of the environment,” and defended the role of religion in the cause of world peace, as he met on December 17 with a group of 8 new ambassadors to the Holy See.
Addressing the new envoys as a group, the Holy Father urged their governments “not only to increase their efforts in favour of environmental protection but also - since the problem cannot be faced only at the national level - to produce proposals and provide encouragement in order to reach vital international agreements that may prove useful and just for all sides.”
Pope Benedict then spoke about the importance of religion in secular life. He conceded that religious differences have responsible for many conflicts, but insisted that “religions lived according to their profound essence have been, and still are, a force for reconciliation and peace.”
The Pope was speaking to new ambassadors to the Vatican from Bangladesh (Abdul Hannan), Denmark (Hans Klingenberg), Finland (Alpo Rusi), Kazakhstan (Mukhtar Tileuberdi), Kenya (Elkanah Odembo), Latvia (Einars Semanis), Sudan (Suleiman Mohamad Mustafa), and Uganda (Francis Butagira).
For all current news, visit our News home page.
Further information:
All comments are moderated. To lighten our editing burden, only current donors are allowed to Sound Off. If you are a current donor, log in to see the comment form; otherwise please support our work, and Sound Off!
-
Posted by: Minnesota Mary -
Dec. 17, 2009 9:18 PM ET USA
I can't for the life of me understand why Pope Benedict is all hopped up about the degradation of the environment when the Church that he leads has lost so many souls due to poor catechesis, disobedience, scandals and a host of other problems. I am continually shocked at the numbers of fallen away Catholics. Where are his priorities?
