In March 2011, popular discontent with the government of Bashar al-Assad led to large-scale protests and pro-democracy rallies across Syria, echoing the Arab Spring protests taking place in other countries.

Assad ordered a harsh response by the military, causing thousands of deaths and detentions. Soon, a full-scale civil war erupted. Since the war began, around 600,000 people have been killed - over half of them civilians - and 13.5 million have been displaced, half of these are refugees that fled the country.

CAFOD, the international aid agency of the Catholic Bishops Conference of England and Wales, says the Syrian people have suffered so much since the beginning of the conflict 13 years ago.

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As illness prevented Francis from attending COP28, he deputed Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Parolin (pictured) to deliver his speech.

Francis, who has made defending the environment central to his papacy's social teaching, is the first Pope to address the Conference of the Parties (COP).

Lamenting the lack of progress in fighting climate change, he repeated appeals for multilateralism, calling the world to action. Divisions between people are preventing progress.

"The climate, run amok, is crying out to us to halt this illusion of omnipotence.

"The destruction of the environment is an offence against God, a sin that is not only personal but also structural."

It is a sin "that greatly endangers all human beings, especially the most vulnerable in our midst and threatens to unleash a conflict between generations.

"Are we working for a culture of life or a culture of death? To all of you, I make this heartfelt appeal: Let us choose life! Let us choose the future!"

Destructive fuels

Global leaders must end using coal, oil and gas, Parolin read on the Pope's behalf.

Embracing renewable energy would help, Francis wrote. This involves "the elimination of fossil fuels and education in less dependent lifestyles.

"Climate change signals the need for major political change. COP28 must be a turning point."

Francis's message resonated with COP28's growing political momentum regarding fossil fuel use - the main source of harmful global warming.

Human activity is responsible for greenhouse gas emissions, he said.

The obsessive drive for production has caused "an inordinate greed that has made the environment the object of unbridled exploitation".

There is some tension however between accepting fossil fuel's damaging effects and stopping their production and use.

For example COP28's president, Sultan Al-Jaber, is faced with supporting the ecological evidence showing the damage fossil fuels are wreaking on the environment, contrary to his personal business interests.

Phasing out these fuels is "inevitable" he says - even though the oil company he runs has embarked on a major expansion of production.

User pays for poor

Blaming the world's ecological and climate crises on the poor and saying high birth rates are the main problem is unfair, Francis said. The biggest carbon-emitting countries are "responsible for a deeply troubling ecological debt".

It would be fair for these countries to cancel poor nations' financial debts, Parolin read. These debts exist only because of big carbon-emitting countries' excessive use of fossil fuels.

Cafod* responds

"The Pope's message is very well timed as we move into discussions on a global stocktake at COP28" says the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development*.

Leaders must heed his call "not for a partial change, but a new way of making progress together, and for choosing a culture of life over a culture of death."

Source

• BBC
• Crux Now
• Reuters
• Vatican
• CNA

The ‘Prayers for Tomorrow', written by Catholics across England and Wales, were delivered to 10 Downing Street to call for action to tackle the climate crisis.

The prayers are a direct response to the call by Pope Francis to reflect on humanity's treatment of ‘our Common Home' and how actions today will impact the lives of people in the world tomorrow.

Organised by CAFOD, Sister Karen Marguerite d'Artois, a Dominican Sister of Newcastle, led the hand-in of the book of prayers at No 10 on 16th June.

Sister Karen said: "It's amazing and inspiring to see how many people of all ages have been praying for our common home, and for our most vulnerable sisters and brothers who are suffering from a climate crisis they did not cause. We have to take responsibility for our actions and change our ways.

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Their promise follows an investigation into international aid organisation Oxfam

The Times newspaper found Oxfam UK workers demanded sex for money following a catastrophic earthquake in Haiti in 2010.

The newspaper also accused Oxfam officials of financial mismanagement, harassment, bullying and negligent supervision.

"We are aware of The Times' investigation of Oxfam UK members and their conduct in the Haiti earthquake response," Catholic Relief Services Communications Director, Kim Pozniak, says.

"First and foremost, our thoughts and prayers are with the victims of these atrocious acts.

"We unequivocally condemn any act that violates the rights and human dignity of individuals."

Following The Times revelations, Catholic Agency For Overseas Development (CAFOD) dismissed a former Oxfam worker who joined CAFOD after working with Oxfam in Haiti.

Oxfam confirmed the employee was accused of sexual misconduct.

CAFOD Director Chris Bain said: "We were not aware of allegations made against this employee and received two references, as standard practice, at the time of recruitment."

David Adams, the Vice President of Missions for Cross Catholic Outreach, lived and worked in Haiti for years as Mission Director for the US Agency for International Development.

He says the majority of humanitarian aid workers in Haiti did not abuse their power in such an appalling way.

"Cross Catholic Outreach was deeply involved in the humanitarian response to the 2010 earthquake and observed that the great majority of humanitarian workers including our own staff responded to the needs of the vulnerable with nothing but love and compassion," he said.

"We deliberately select staff with work experience in Haiti who understand the cultural context and underlying causes of poverty rather than aid workers who accept short-term positions moving from one country or disaster situation after another."

Other Catholic aid organisations who work in Haiti also say that they have protocols for aid workers and partners in international development.

These protocols are intended to ensure the protection of the vulnerable people they serve.

Catholic Relief Services (CRS) say their protocol includes a whistleblower system and a protection training course.

All CRS employees and partners must complete the course.

Source

• Catholic News Agency
• Crux
• Image: Catholic News Agency