Pasifika people join Pilgrimage to Paris

Friday, October 9th, 2015

Last weekend the Pacific Climate Warriors, from several island nations in the Pacific, joined a Philippine led People’s Pilgrimage to highlight the impacts of climate change in the islands.

Before setting out from Rome last week People’s Pilgrimage leader Yeb Sano had a short meeting with Pope Francis.

”He came up to me,” Yeb said, ”and took my hand.

“I showed him the handwritten version of the Encyclical which I and other marchers will be writing as we march through Italy, Switzerland, Germany and France.”

“The Pope looked with real interest at what I had written so far, held my hand a good while then looked at me in the eyes and smiled before moving on. It was a hugely emotional and inspiring moment which really energised me for the 1500km ahead.”

The People’s Pilgrimage has brought together a group of pilgrims to walk from Rome to the Paris climate talks taking place later this year.

The Pacific Climate Warriors were already in Europe to send a message to those investing in the climate crisis and raise the reality of climate impacts on their lives.

They joined the Peoples Pilgrimage walking a little under 20 kilometres from Foligno to Assisi, a small part of the 1500 km pilgrimage.

“Joining this pilgrimage was a historic moment for us,” said Koreti Tiumalu, 350.org’s Pacific Coordinator.

“I was so proud to see all these young Pacific Islanders walk side by side with Yeb Sano and the other pilgrims, to highlight the urgency of the climate crisis, and at the same time challenge the moral license of the fossil fuel industry,” she added.

The Pacific Climate Change Warriors are part of the 360.org movement which is a network of climate change campaigners

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