Vatican City, 11 November 2015 (VIS) –
Archbishop Francesco Follo, Holy See permanent observer at UNESCO,
addressed the 38th General Conference of this body, which took place
from 25 October to 10 November in Paris.
“UNESCO is heavily involved in the
preparations for the United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP
21) and I am sure that the Organisation, through its Global Action
Programme on Education for Sustainable Development, plays and will
continue to play a very important role in making education in climate
change a central and visible element of the international response to
this theme. Therefore, the Holy See welcomes with satisfaction …
the UNESCO Road Map for the implementation of the programme. Its
objective is to help people understand the impact of global warming
and to familiarise the young, in particular, with climate change. In
order to achieve this, the programme strengthens Member States'
capacity to guarantee a quality education in climate change, to
encourage innovative education approaches to incorporating education
in climate change in school curricula, and to promote awareness of
climate change as well as the strengthening of informal education
programmes through the communication media, networks and
associations”.
Archbishop Follo commented that the
70th anniversary of UNESCO offered a good opportunity to take stock
of our history and to reflect on our common future, responding to the
Holy Father's urgent invitation to engage in a “new dialogue on the
way in which we are constructing the future of the planet” and to
promote “an 'ecological' education that must take into account the
ethics of life and dialogue”.
This dialogue begins with “becoming
aware that inhabiting the earth means living 'in her' with respect,
sobriety and simplicity in terms of what we require, take and receive
from her”. But we should also live 'with her and care for her'. …
A human attitude that derives from work and the assumption of
responsibility is required.
Indeed, it is important not to forget
that the relationship between humanity and nature “is synthesized
by work. In effect, on the one hand nature is the expression of a
design of love and truth. It precedes us and was given to us by God
as a living environment, Who established it according to an intrinsic
order to guide man in cultivating and maintaining it”. With regard
to responsibility, “in simple terms, we all know where we area, and
in equally simple terms, we all know where we wish to go: we must
leave the earth habitable, or render it newly habitable for future
generations if we have ransacked it”.
“This purpose is inspired by the
encyclical “Laudato si'” that Pope Francis dedicated to our
common home”, concluded Archbishop Follo, citing Pope emeritus
Benedict XVI, who had encouraged the development of a “human
ecology”, since “intelligence requires us to respect others as
well as the home where we live. … Pope Francis says that
intelligence also commands us to respect our common home as by doing
so, we demonstrate our love for our neighbour”.
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