Pope Francis sent a brief note to the president of Colombia, as the events for World Environment Day would have been held in Bogotá this year, but were held virtually because of the pandemic.
The pope said that “we cannot pretend to be healthy in a world that is sick,” and said this “is not a time to continue looking the other way, indifferent to the signs that our planet is being plundered and violated by greed for profit, very often in the name of progress.”
But he also affirmed, “We have the chance to reverse course, to commit ourselves to a better, healthier world and to pass it on to future generations. Everything depends on us, if we really want it.”
Pope Francis noted the recent celebration of the fifth anniversary of his encyclical letter Laudato Si’, which draws attention to the challenges facing us in our care for the planet, and he also invited participation in a special year “to reflect in light of that document and, together, to become more committed to the care and protection of our common home, and of our most vulnerable and marginalized brothers and sisters in society.”
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And today we celebrate...