Holy Father to Youth: Respect for Environment Must Recognize Inviolability of Human Beings

By Lisa Correnti | November 29, 2011

Yesterday Pope Benedict met with 7,000 students who were attending a conference sponsored by the Italian environmental group “Sorella natura”. The Holy Father thanked the participants for acknowledging their role as “guardians of creation” and stressed that protecting life and nature are one in the same and that creation must never be separated from God. From his address:

“Dear friends the Church, while appreciating the most important scientific research and discoveries, has never ceased to remind people that by respecting the mark of the Creator in all creation, we achieve a better understanding of our true and profound human identity. … If, in fact, human activity forgets to collaborate with God, it can do violence to the creation and cause damage which always has negative consequences, also for mankind. … Today more than ever it is clear that respect for the environment cannot overlook recognition for the importance and inviolability of human beings, at every stage of life and in every condition. Respect for the human being and respect for nature are the same thing, they grow and find their just measure if we respect the Creator and His creation, both in the human creature and in nature”.

UN talks on climate change are being held in South Africa under the 194-nation UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and will continue through December 9. The Vatican has sent a delegation.

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