Rome, Global South look forward to COP22

It was a busy week in the world of Catholic ecology.

Some fifteen months since the issuance of Pope Francis’s Encyclical Letter Laudato Si’ and some nine months since the COP 21 international agreement on tackling climate change, there remains a heightened urgency to baptize global realities with the teachings of the Church.

On Wednesday, the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace held a special gathering to “evaluate the reception and impact of Laudato Si’.”

Alongside members of the pontifical institutions were distinguished scholars and leaders from various sectors, including the Global Catholic Climate Movement. Those present shared their views on the Laudato Si’, as well as “the scientific consensus it reflects, the ethical guidance it offers, the economic and social changes it requires and calls for.”

The gathering, attended at its closing by Pope Francis, focused especially on the role of Church teachings in seeking success for COP 22, which will be held in Morocco in November.

Meanwhile, the Argentinian-based Universal Ecological Fund offered a new analysis—The Truth About Climate Change—that summarizes the impacts of last year's COP 21, held in Paris, and what is needed for more protective measures.

One of the principal authors of this report is Dr. Pablo Canziani, a noted atmospheric scientist based in Buenos Aires who had been called on often by then Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio. Canziani, a co-founder of the Global Catholic Climate Movement, is a stalwart voice of faith in the ongoing scientific analysis of humanity’s impacts on the created order.

In short, these two events show us not only the growing influence and impact of the Global South, but also the growing influence and impact of the Church—and thus the Gospel of Life—in matters of global ecological and social awareness.

Stay tuned for much more to come.

Photo: GCCM