1 September 2018 | Message

MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS FOR THE WORLD DAY OF PRAYER FOR THE CARE OF CREATION

[…]
Let us pray that waters may not be a sign of separation between peoples, but of
encounter for the human community. Let us pray that those who risk their lives at
sea in search of a better future may be kept safe. Let us ask the Lord and all those
engaged in the noble service of politics that the more sensitive questions of our day,
such as those linked to movements of migration, climate change and the right of
everyone to enjoy primary goods, may be faced with generous and farsighted
responsibility and in a spirit of cooperation, especially among those countries most
able to help.
Let us pray too, for all those who devote themselves to the apostolate of the sea, for
those who help reflect on the issues involving maritime ecosystems, for those who
contribute to the development and application of international regulations on the seas
in order to safeguard individuals, countries, goods, natural resources – I think, for
example, of marine fauna and flora, and coral reefs (cf. ibid., 41) or sea beds – and
to guarantee an integral development in view of the common good of the entire
human family and not particular interests. Let us remember, too, all those who work
to protect maritime areas and to safeguard the oceans and their biodiversity, that
they may carry out this task with responsibility and integrity.
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