Pope Francis, faith leaders sign joint climate appeal

VATICAN CITY: Faith leaders along with Pope Francis on Monday requested political action for climate change ahead of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) scheduled for November 1-13 in Glasgow, Scotland.

The Pope and the faith leaders also presented a joint declaration to Alok Sharma, the president-designate of the COP26 summit, and to Luigi di Maio, Italian Minister for Foreign Affairs.

In his address to the participants at a meeting, Pope Francis expressed gratitude for their presence, which shows a "desire for a deepened dialogue among ourselves and with scientific experts" and proposed three concepts to guide their reflection: Openness to interdependence and sharing, the dynamism of love, and the call to respect.

"COP26 represents an urgent summons to provide effective responses to the unprecedented ecological crisis and the crisis of values that we are presently experiencing, and in this way to offer concrete hope to future generations," said the Pope.

He said "care for our common home is also a call to respect: respect for creation, respect for our neighbour, respect for ourselves and for the creator".

Responding to the 'religious' call, Sharma said in a tweet: "An honour to receive, together with @luigidimaio, the #Faith4COP26 Appeal from His Holiness Pope Francis. This is a critical message to the world and world leaders ahead of #COP26 #G20."

The latest report published by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a United Nations organisation, is a stark warning from scientists around the world that human activity is damaging the planet at an alarming rate. (IANS)

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