Pope hopes COP29 in Baku will make a ‘contribution for the protection of our common home’
At the Angelus, the pope mentioned the United Nations Conference on Climate Change, set to open tomorrow in Azerbaijan until 22 November. The pontiff cited two extreme weather events: the Valencia flood and the Lewotobi volcano eruption in Indonesia. He urged the faithful to pray for peace “in all the world”. In his commentary on today's Gospel, he stressed that authority is like “maternal and paternal tenderness towards people, especially those most in need.”
Vatican City (AsiaNews) – During today’s Angelus, Pope Francis spoke to the faithful, bringing to their attention, as he did last week, the effects of the DANA storm that killed at least 223 people.
“I will ask you a question: have you prayed for Valencia?” Have you thought about making some contribution to help those people?” he asked, a way to stimulate a reflection on frequent extreme weather events and on human solidarity.
“I reiterate my remembrance for the inhabitants of Valencia and other parts of Spain, who are facing the consequences of the flood,” he noted, mentioning the launch three years ago of the Laudato Si' action platform, for the care of our common home.
“I thank those who work in support of this initiative,” the Pontiff said, explaining that the latter seeks to help the Church “achieve real and lasting solutions to the ecological crisis” and take “Concrete actions to protect our common home.”
The pontiff’s second encyclical letter, published in 2015, is more relevant than ever, and highlights the urgency of acting immediately.
“In this regard, I hope that the COP29 Climate Change Conference, which will begin tomorrow in Baku, may make an effective contribution for the protection of our common home,” Francis explained. The United Nations Conference on Climate Change opens tomorrow, until 22 November, in the Azerbaijani capital.
The pontiff mentioned another natural event with tragic consequences. “I am close to the population of the Island of Flores in Indonesia, struck by a volcanic eruption; I pray for the victims, their relatives and the displaced.”
Last week, the island’s Lewotobi Laki-laki volcano killed ten people, including Sister Nikolin Padjo, Missionary Servant of the Holy Spirit, as well as injured and displaced many others.
Turning his attention to Mozambique, the Holy Father said: “The news from Mozambique is worrying. I invite everyone to engage in dialogue, tolerance and the tireless search for just solutions.”
Recently, police and the miliary cracked down on protests in the African country over fraud allegations in connection with the elections of 9 October won by the Mozambique Liberation Front (Frelimo) party, resulting in the death of at least 30 people.
“Let us pray for the entire Mozambican population that the present situation does not cause them to lose faith in the path of democracy, justice and peace,” he said.
The Holy Father also remembered Fr Giuseppe Torres Padilla, co-founder of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Company of the Cross, who was proclaimed Blessed yesterday in Seville (Spain).
“He lived in nineteenth-century Spain, and distinguished himself as a priest confessor and spiritual guide, bearing witness to great charity with those in need. May his example sustain priests in their ministry. A round of applause for the new Blessed!” Francis said, asking the faithful to celebrate the new beatification.
As he does regularly, the pontiff urged the faithful to pray for peace "in all the world", in places at war where violence is not lessening even towards the most vulnerable people. “[L]et us continue, please, to pray for tormented Ukraine, where even hospitals and other civilian buildings have been struck; and let us pray for Palestine, Israel, Lebanon, Myanmar, and Sudan.”
Francis spoke about the Day of Thanksgiving that the Italian Church celebrated today, which is meant as a moment of gratitude for the blessings of the harvest and the previous year.
“I express gratitude to the agricultural sector, and I encourage the cultivation of the land in a way that preserves its fertility also for future generations,” he said.
As he looked out of the window of the Apostolic Palace, the pope spoke about the Gospel of the day (Mk 12:38-44). In this passage, Jesus addressed the crowd in the temple, criticising the incoherence of the scribes, who “were accorded an important role in the community of Israel: they read, transcribed and interpreted the Scriptures.”
“Some, in fact, on the strength of the prestige and power they enjoyed, looked down on others ‘from above’,” he added. “[T]hey put on airs and, hiding behind a façade of feigned respectability and legalism, arrogated privileges to themselves”.
“Jesus warned to stay away from these people, to ‘beware’ of them, not to imitate them,” he added, stressing how Jesus sought to teach about “authority” through his words.
“He spoke about it in terms of self-sacrifice and humble service, of maternal and paternal tenderness towards people, especially those most in need. He invites those invested with it to look at others from their position of power, not to humiliate them, but to lift them up, giving them hope and assistance.”
Lastly, the pope turned to Our Lady. “May the Virgin Mary help us fight the temptation of hypocrisy in ourselves – Jesus tells them (the scribes) they are hypocrites, hypocrisy is a great temptation –, and help us to do good, simply and without ostentation.”
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