In a recent statement, the bishops of England and Wales said: “We join with the presidents of the Catholic Bishops’ Conferences of the EU to call on politicians to work towards an ambitious implementation of the Paris Agreement.

“A UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report highlights the urgent need to work towards limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels, a major World Wildlife Fund report showing that we have witnessed an overall decline of 60 per cent in species population sizes between 1970 and 2014. We have also seen how the Earth’s protective ozone layer is continuing to recover, showing how, when the international community takes serious collaborative action, we are capable of healing our wounded planet, giving us reason to be optimistic that we can do what is necessary to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees.”     

The meaning of following Jesus

During an audience with the religious of the Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mercy, Pope Francis said: “He who follows Christ does so by giving his life; it is not a partial following. The poor young rich man wanted to follow just in part, and he could not. This puts us before the core truth of our religious consecration. To trust in the Lord means to give ourselves to Him without keeping anything in our pocket; not only giving the material and the superfluous, but giving everything we consider as our own, even our tastes and opinions. The surrender of one’s life is not something optional, but is the consequence of a heart that was ‘touched’ by God’s love.

“Please, I ask you not to allow yourself to be tempted to consider your sacrifice and surrender as an investment destined for personal gain, to achieve a position or a life security. No! This, no. Endeavour to make this oblation and consecration to the service of God and of men, living the joy of the Gospel through the charism of redemption.”

Meaning of integration

In comments given to Crux Now, Archbishop Ivan Jurkovič, Apostolic Nuncio and Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations in Geneva, said: “As Pope Francis repeatedly said, integration is a two-way process, based on mutual knowledge and reciprocal openness. In this regard, integration cannot be mere assimilation that leads migrants or host societies to suppress or to surrender their own cultural identity. This would only lead to social exclusion and disharmony. At the same time, however, it is important that migrants know and respect the laws, the culture and the traditions of the countries that welcome them, in a true spirit of encounter.”        

(Compiled by Fr Joe Borg)

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