Climate crisis not the poor’s fault
Pope Francis, in his message to world leaders meeting for the COP28 in Dubai, read by Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin, criticised the ideology of population control:
“Particularly striking... are the attempts made to shift the blame onto the poor, and high birth rates. These are falsities that must be firmly dispelled. It is not the fault of the poor, since the almost half of our world that is more needy is responsible for scarcely 10 per cent of toxic emissions, while the gap between the opulent few and the masses of the poor has never been so abysmal.
“The poor are the victims of what is happening... Births are not a problem, but a resource: they are not opposed to life, but for life, whereas certain ideological and utilitarian models now being imposed with a velvet glove constitute real forms of colonisation.”
Cardinal Peter Turkson slams Ghana bishops
In an interview with BBC’s Stephen Sackur, Cardinal Peter Turkson, criticised Ghana’s bishops for their position in favour of that country’s plan to criminalise homosexuality.
Turkson, a longtime Vatican official, has sparked controversy in his native Ghana by denouncing the West African country’s proposed law to criminalise homosexuality.
“LGBT people may not be criminalised because they have committed no crime. It is time to begin education, to help people understand what this reality, this phenomenon, is. We need a lot of education to get people to separate, to make a decision about what is crime and what is not crime.”
African bishops stand up for democracy
In a recent statement, the Catholic bishops of Africa took a stand in favour of democracy:
“We stand opposed to coups d’état, a position that aligns with the Church’s teachings, which firmly rejects the seizure of power through force. The Church advocates for democracy, a system that facilitates citizen participation in political decision-making and ensures the governed are able to select, oversee, and peacefully replace their leaders.”
(Compiled by Fr Joe Borg)