As St. John Paul II said in 1990, “The ‘greenhouse effect’ [climate change] has now reached crisis proportions as a consequence of industrial growth, massive urban concentrations and vastly increased energy needs. Industrial waste, the burning of fossil fuels, unrestricted deforestation… are known to harm the atmosphere and environment… I wish to repeat that the ecological crisis is a moral issue.”
Leader: Let us pray as Pope Francis taught us in Laudato Si’:
Assembly: Creator God, please guide us.
Help us act in love and courage
To honor You, O Creator,
And to fulfill our role as protectors of The Earth, our common home.
The poor and the earth are crying out. O Lord, seize us with your power and light, help us to protect all life, to prepare for a better future, for the coming of your Kingdom of justice, peace, love and beauty.
Amen.
A Prayer for the COP24 Climate Summit (Katowice, 3-14 December)