Pope Francis has called for courage in abandoning fossil fuels as part of efforts to protect the planet.
The pope, who was visiting Assisi, the birthplace of his namesake saint who was close to nature on Saturday, lamented that older generations did not know how to protect the planet and secure peace.
During the visit, he told young people that he was pinning his hopes on their efforts in working to save the planet and to make the world’s economy more attentive to the poor.
Francis spoke to a gathering of 1,000 young people, some of them young economists and others who are involved in efforts, including start-ups, focused on helping the environment during his brief visit to the hill town in central Italy.
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Among the participants who came from all over the world was a woman who recounted to the pope how she and her husband were helped to flee Afghanistan after the takeover of the Taliban last year by an organisation called.
During his interaction with the young people, the pope said a world economy is needed that expresses “a new vision of the environment and the Earth. He noted that there are many people, businesses and institutions that are making an ecological conversion.
“We need to go forward on this road and do more,” Francis said. “Now is the time for new courage in abandoning fossil fuels to accelerate the development of zero- or positive-impact sources of energy,”.
He further told the young people that “Our generation has left you with a rich heritage, but we have not known how to protect the planet and are not securing peace.”
Story was adapted from the Guardian.
