Former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has launched a stinging attack on Cardinal George Pell’s views on climate change. In a lecture, Mr Rudd said the cardinal needed an “ecological conversion”. This was a phrase used by Pope Francis in Laudato Si’. Mr Rudd said the Cardinal’s view that the Church should stay out of Read more
“In Oceania, our survival and existence are at stake,” said Monsignor John Ribat, President of the Federation of Catholic Bishops’ Conferences of Oceania and the Archbishop of Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. Ribat was taking part in an emotionally charged press conference in Rome on Monday. Catholic leaders representing every continent on earth made an Read more
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 Read more
State of the Environment report for Oceania 2015 – Caring for our Common Home was released on October 4 by Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand. This report may help to wake New Zealanders and Australians up to the serious environmental problems exisiting in their own backyard. A Caritas indicator included in the publication gives a snapshot Read more
Hillary Clinton says she will follow Pope Francis’s example and make combating climate change a top priority for any future US administration she leads. Writing in the National Catholic Reporter, Mrs Clinton stated as “a person of faith, a mother, and a grandmother, I am deeply moved by Pope Francis’s recent teachings on climate change Read more
A scientist famous for demographic doom-saying has criticised Pope Francis for not admitting population control is needed to tackle climate change. Paul Ehrlich said Pope Francis is simply wrong in trying to fight climate change without also addressing the strain on global resources from population rise. “That’s raving nonsense,” the scientist said. Ehrlich wrote on Read more
The Catholic Church in Papua New Guinea is already providing aid for communities affected by frost and droughts. Planning is underway for relief assistance in the future should the developing El Niño be as severe as climatologists are predicting. Crop gardens have already been destroyed by frost and rivers and creeks have either dried up Read more
A Catholic congressman is to boycott Pope Francis’s address to the US Congress later this month because of the Pontiff’s views on the environment. Paul Gosar from Arizona said he would boycott the address on September 24, because he believed it would mostly be about climate change. “ . . . When the Pope chooses Read more
As the extreme weather conditions in Papua New Guinea continue, church leaders in Papua New Guinea are asking the Catholic people to come to the aid of those in need. “This is a time to draw upon our traditional Melanesian values of sharing and hospitality, and particularly on the Christian virtues of charity, honesty and Read more
A statement from a meeting of Federation of Catholic Bishops Conferences of Oceania has expressed concern about “the indisputable fact of rising sea levels.” “In some cases, entire regions and nations are under threat from the indisputable fact of rising sea levels,” the statement says. “Examples from this part of the world include the Carteret Islands, Read more