Church in the World

Pope says go green 'before it is too late'

POPE BENEDICT XVI has called on young people to take steps to save the planet "before it is too late". Speaking last weekend at the end of an Italian youth gathering at the Marian shrine of Loreto near the Adriatic Sea, the Pope told the young people that one of the "most urgent" responsibilities of their generation was to protect the environment and help reverse ecological destruction.

"Before it is too late, courageous choices must be adopted that are capable of recreating a strong alliance between humans and the Earth," the Pope said on Sunday to a vast outdoor crowd. The remarks were only an aside in a much broader message to the young people, but they constituted some of the Pope's strongest comments to date on ecological questions. "There needs to be a decisive ‘yes' in defence of creation and a strong commitment to reverse those trends that risk creating situations of irreparable degradation," he said.

The two-day "Agora" was the first major event of a three-year initiative by the Italian episcopal conference (CEI) aimed at reaching out to young Catholics. The Pope's environmental comments were made in support of another CEI initiative - the second annual "National Day for the Safeguarding of Creation", which is commemorated each year on 1 September.

Pope Benedict noted that this year's theme focused on water, which he called a most precious resource. He warned that it would become a "motive for harsh tensions and bitter conflicts" if not shared in a fair and peaceful manner - a reality that is already occurring in many parts of the world.

The youth gathering itself was planned to be "ecologically friendly" through the use of biodegradable materials for plates and cutlery and separate recycling bins for different sorts of rubbish.

The Pope's comments at Loreto will be welcomed by environmentalists who have been puzzled by some of the apparently contradictory actions of the Catholic Church in recent months. While it has taken steps to reduce its carbon footprint - a plan is under way to install solar panels on the 5,000-square-metre roof of the Paul VI Audience Hall, and officials have engaged an "eco-restoration" company to plant trees in a newly created Vatican Climate Forest in order to offset Vatican City's carbon dioxide emissions - other actions have come in for criticism. The vicariate of Rome launched an airline offering short-haul flights to pilgrimage sites such as Lourdes, and some delegates attending the Vatican's first-ever seminar on climate change (The Tablet, 5 May) said that the event had given "eco-sceptics" too prominent a platform.

Organisers were jubilant after a larger than expected crowd turned out for the weekend event. CEI officials said that some 400,000 youngsters from all over the country, and other parts of the world, had gathered on Saturday - the first day of the Agora - for a question-and-answer session and prayer vigil with Pope Benedict. Later in the evening, well after the Pope had left, two of Italy's greatest recording artists of all time - Lucio Dalla and Claudio Baglioni - performed at a star-studded pop concert.

When the 80-year-old Pope returned the next morning to celebrate the outdoor Mass the crowd had reportedly swollen to half a million people. "Go against the tide!" he told the young people, urging them to reject voices that extolled a lifestyle marked "by arrogance and violence, by overbearingness and success at all costs, and by appearance and ‘having' at the expense of ‘being'."

Pope Benedict warned them to be vigilant and critical of the powerful persuasive action of the mass media. And he challenged them not to be afraid of being criticised for seeming out of fashion because of following what he called the "alternative" ways marked out by true love. He said these included "a sober and simple lifestyle; sincere and pure relationships; an honest commitment to study and work; and a deep interest in the common good".

During the Saturday afternoon gathering the Pope spontaneously responded to questions put to him by several young people. And before leaving the field he invited the youngsters to attend World Youth Day next July in Sydney. "Let us pray that the Lord ... will allow many of you to be there," he said. "May he grant this to me, may he grant this to you," he added.