UN will support Pope Francis’ expected encyclical on man’s relationship with the planet, says Christiana Figueres
The UN will back a letter from the Pope on man’s relationship with the environment, its climate chief Christiana Figueres said on Wednesday.
The Vatican confirmed in January that Pope Francis was preparing a statement on “human ecology” describing how man must defend nature. The UN’s support is likely to bestow further influence on his comments, which will already be observed by the 1.2 billion Catholics worldwide.
Speaking to RTCC on the sidelines of an event held at St Paul’s Cathedral in London yesterday, Christiana Figueres said that the UN is “trying to figure out how to use the opportunity” of the Pope’s encyclical, which is the highest form of papal writing.
The statement is unlikely to be released until next year, rendering it too late for the Vatican to deliver it as a pledge at a climate summit to be hosted by the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in September, where other countries are expected to announce new national measures to tackle climate change.
But Figueres added that “everyone’s expecting it”, and that the UN was working on an alternative venue in which to make use of the Pope’s comments.
Pope Francis has already spoken publically on his concern over environmental destruction. Speaking after his election, he said he had taken the name of St Francis of Assisi because he “teaches us profound respect for the whole of creation and the protection of our environment”.
Holy See
The attention of the UN could raise the pressure on the Vatican to deliver concrete action on climate change, at the same time as other countries are working towards their contributions towards a UN climate change treaty.
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