Bishops Demand Climate Justice Amid Rising Temperatures

Catholic bishops from across Asia, Africa, and Latin America have issued a unified call for climate justice, highlighting the severe impacts of rising temperatures on their regions. In a strongly worded document, they rebuked the 'false solutions' of wealthy nations as inadequate for addressing environmental challenges.

The bishops' appeal, which comes ahead of the upcoming UN climate conference in Belem, Brazil, reflects a more urgent tone compared to the diplomatic environmental statements often made by Pope Francis. They criticized the 'denialist and apathetic' attitudes of industrialized countries and emphasized the need to abandon fossil fuels for a new economic model focused on the common good.

Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu of Congo described the appeal as more than an analysis, but a 'cry of dignity.' The document condemned using oil profits to fund green transitions and dismissed carbon markets as 'false solutions,' promoting instead a drastic transformation that prioritizes ecological and social justice.

(With inputs from agencies.)