WCC News: WCC general secretary reflects on Laudate Deum as an important message to the world

World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay reflected on Pope Francis’s Laudate Deum as an important message to the world.  A woman carries a bucket to fill at a village well. The drought affecting this area near Langue, Honduras, has gone on for several years, resulting from climate change. The local wells have either dried up, or they have locking hatches over them, to allow rationing of water in the community. Photo: Sean Hawkey/Life on Earth 13 October 2023 “Laudate Deum courageously addresses the economic and political powers as well as worldviews and paradigms that, by questioning scientific findings and promoting false technological solutions to the climate crisis, are hindering essential and timely actions said Pillay. “Science has confirmed that new oil, gas, or coal fields are incompatible with keeping global temperature rise at the relatively safe limit of 1.5°C.” The scale of the crisis demands a global, coordinated, and integrated approach, Pillay added.  “The WCC, together with ecumenical, interfaith, and civil society partners, commits to engage in this space, specifically the 28th Conference of the Parties or COP28 which will be held in Dubai from 30 November to 12 December, to speak truth to power and hold governments and corporations accountable for their historic responsibilities towards vulnerable communities and the planet,” he said. “At the same time, Pope Francis encourages the efforts of households to reduce pollution and waste and to consume with prudence, creating a new culture where personal, family, and community habits are transformed and push the political sectors for positive change.” Just relationships and reparations underpin reconciliation and unity, noted Pillay. “If we are to overcome the climate crisis, humanity must learn to share resources, make reparations, transcend divisions, work together, and unify efforts to move the world to a more just and sustainable future,” he concluded.  WCC general secretary remarks on Pope Francis' Apostolic Exhortation "Laudate Deum" See more

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 352 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 580 million Christians in over 120 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay from the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa. Media contact: +41 79 507 6363; www.oikoumene.org/press Our visiting address is: World Council of Churches 150 route de Ferney Geneve 2 1211 Switzerland