Pope Francis: Stopping Climate Change and Poverty Go Hand in Hand

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Heads of states at the U.N. climate change conference in Paris must do everything possible to mitigate the effects of both climate change and poverty "for the good of our common home," Pope Francis said.

"The two choices go together: to stop climate change and curb poverty so that human dignity may flourish," he said Dec. 6 after reciting the Angelus with pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square.

The pope said he was closely following the climate conference and thinking about how conference participants are called to respond to the question, "What kind of world do we want to leave to those who come after us, to children who are now growing up?" The conference participants, he said, must spare no effort in combating climate change for "the good of our common home, of all of us and future generations."

"Let us pray the Holy Spirit enlighten all those who are called to make such important decisions and give them the courage to always have the greater good of the entire human family as the criterion to guide their decisions," he said.

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