The Pope warned today that the damage that humanity is doing to the planet is no longer limited to climate, water and soil, "but now threatens life itself on Earth" and, before this, "it is not enough to repeat statements that make us feel good".
Pope Francis took part in the inauguration of the cycle of studies at the Pontifical Lateran University of Rome dedicated to the "Caring for our common home and protecting creation" and to the Unesco chair "Futures of education for sustainability".
"The complexity of the ecological crisis requires responsibility, specificity and competence"said so the university is "a privileged place for training and preparation, where different knowledge converge, where students and teachers meet to reflect and creatively develop new ways of moving forward".
The pontiff regretted that "expectations linked to sustainable development goals to be achieved by 2030, together with more specific goals related to air, water, climate or environment protection, are retreating",
And that happens "perhaps because we have only linked these objectives to a cause-effect relationship, perhaps in the name of effectiveness, forgetting that "there is no ecology without proper anthropology".
For this reason, he valued the idea of ​​a special cycle of ecological studies because "serves to transform, even among believers, the mere concern for the environment into a mission carried out by trained people, the fruit of an appropriate educational experience".
He also urged the representatives of the religions "to make the necessary contribution, becoming the voice of the voiceless, rising above party interests and not just complaining".
The Pope has intensified in recent weeks his calls for a greater commitment of the States, especially COP26, the summit next month in Glasglow (United Kingdom) where his participation is expected.
The Orthodox Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartolomeo I, and the Director General of UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay, also participated in today’s event.
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