Recently, the heads of six continental Catholic bishops’ conferences issued a rare joint statement. Their subject was climate change.
The conferences, including the Federation of Catholic Bishops’ Conferences of Oceania, to which Papua New Guinea belongs, decided that climate change warranted the unusual time and attention to develop a globally united statement. The reason is that climate change calls on the beliefs and values that are core to our faith.
Climate change challenges our commitment to protect “the least of these.” Climate change is driving an increase in the likelihood of extreme storms, growing deserts, and rising seas. In turn, these weather disasters affect the human family, increasing the risk of hunger, migration, and conflict.
