Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Holy See’s Secretary of State, has sent a message in the Pontiff’s name to the 97th Semaines Sociales de France (Social Weeks of France), a conference dedicated to Catholic social teaching, and this year to ecology.
“Today, more than ever, we understand the relevance of integral ecology, according to the magisterium of Pope Francis, which addresses the social and environmental crises simultaneously and urges us not to separate what is intimately linked,” Cardinal Parolin wrote in the November 24 message.
Cardinal Parolin said that the Pope “reminds us that, although a personal commitment to the protection of creation is an essential aspect of Christian life, insofar as it bears witness to faith in God the Creator and helps to generate a culture of respect for the environment, it is not enough to tackle the climate crisis we are currently experiencing.”
Quoting Laudate Deum, the Pope’s recent apostolic exhortation on the climate crisis, Cardinal Parolin wrote that “it is therefore necessary to begin ‘a new process marked by three requirements: that it be drastic, intense and count on the commitment of all,’, involving both politics and the mobilization ‘from below’ of the various social actors and intermediary bodies.”