For the care of our common home – Message from Pope Francis delivered by the Secretary of State at COP29 in Baku – There is no more time for indifference – Canceling the debt of poor countries is a question of justice, not generosity

Canceling the debt of poor countries is a question of justice, not generosity

We are publishing in our translation from English the message of the Holy Father, delivered this morning by the Cardinal Secretary of State, Pietro Parolin, at the 29th Session of the Conference of States Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29), underway in Baku , from 11 to 22 November.

Mr President,
Distinguished Heads of State and Government,
Lord and Lord,

On behalf of Pope Francis, I extend cordial greetings to all of you and assure you of his closeness, his support and his encouragement so that COP 29 can succeed in demonstrating that there is an international community willing to look beyond particularisms and to put center the good of humanity and our common home, which God has entrusted to our care and responsibility.

The scientific data we have does not allow for further delays and clearly shows that the preservation of creation is one of the most urgent issues of our time. We must also recognize that it is closely linked to the preservation of peace.

COP 29 takes place in a context conditioned by growing disillusionment with multilateral institutions and growing tendencies to build walls. Selfishness — individual, national and power groups — fuels a climate of mistrust and division that does not respond to the needs of an interdependent world in which we should act and live as members of a single family inhabiting the same interconnected global village ( 1).

«The increasingly globalized society brings us closer, but it does not make us brothers» (2). Economic development has not reduced inequalities. On the contrary, it has favored the prioritization of profit and particular interests to the detriment of the protection of the weakest and has contributed to the progressive worsening of environmental problems.

In order to reverse the trend and create a culture of respect for life and the dignity of the human person, it is necessary to understand that the harmful consequences of lifestyles affect everyone, and to shape the future together to “ensure that solutions are proposed starting from a global perspective and not just in defense of the interests of some countries” (3).

May the principle of “common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities” (4) guide and inspire the work of these weeks. Let historical and present responsibilities become concrete and far-sighted commitments for the future, so that from these weeks of work a New collective quantified climate finance goalwhich is among the most urgent ones of this Conference.

Efforts must be made to find solutions that do not further undermine the development and adaptive capacity of many countries already burdened with overwhelming economic debt. When discussing climate finance it is important to remember that ecological debt and foreign debt are two sides of the same coin that mortgage the future.

From this perspective, I would like to reiterate the appeal made by Pope Francis in view of the ordinary Jubilee of the year 2025, addressing the wealthiest nations «so that they recognize the gravity of many decisions taken and decide to I forgive the debt of countries that could never repay them. Before being magnanimous, it is a question of justice, aggravated today by a new form of inequity of which we have become aware: “There is in fact a real ‘ecological debt’, especially between the North and the South, connected to trade imbalances with ecological consequences, as well as the disproportionate use of natural resources historically made by some countries”” (5).

Indeed, it is essential to seek a new international financial architecture that is human-centred (6), bold, creative and based on the principles of equity, justice and solidarity. A new international financial architecture that can truly ensure that all countries, especially the poorest ones and those most vulnerable to climate disasters, have both low-carbon and high-sharing development paths, which allow everyone to reach their full potential and have their dignity respected. We have the human and technological resources to reverse course and pursue the virtuous circle of integral development that is truly human and inclusive (7). Let us work together to ensure that COP 29 also strengthens the political will to channel these resources towards this noble goal for the common good of humanity today and tomorrow. We must rediscover our hope in the capacity of humanity, in the fact “that we can always change course, that we can always do something to solve problems” (8). We must hope “that humanity at the beginning of the twenty-first century can be remembered for having generously assumed its grave responsibilities” (9).

I reiterate the commitment and support of the Holy See in this effort, especially in the field of education in integral ecology and in raising awareness of the environmental question as “a human and social problem in a broad sense and at various levels” (10), which requires first of all a clear commitment, where responsibility, the acquisition of knowledge and the participation of each person are fundamental.

We cannot “pass along the street looking the other way” (11). Indifference is complicit in injustice. I therefore ask that, with the common good in mind, we can unmask the mechanisms of self-justification that so often paralyze us: what can I do? How can I contribute?

Today there is no time for indifference. We cannot wash our hands of it, remaining distant, careless, disinterested. This is the real challenge of our century.

For an ambitious agreement, for every initiative and process aimed at truly inclusive development, I assure you of my support and that of the Holy Father, in order to render an effective service to humanity, so that we can all take on the responsibility of safeguarding not only our future, but also that of everyone.

Thank you.

(1) Cf. Pope Francis, General AudienceSeptember 2, 2020

(2) Benedict XVI, Encyclical Letter Love in truth29 June 2009, n. 19

(3) Pope Francis, Encyclical Letter Praised yes24 maggio 2015, 164

(4) United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Changeart. 3.1 art. 4.1; Paris Agreementart. 2.2

(5) Pope Francis, Hope does not disappoint9 May 2024, n. 16, quoting the Encyclical Letter Praised yes24 May 2015, n. 51

(6) See Saint Paul VI, Encyclical Letter The development of the people26 March 1967, n. 14

(7) Cfr. Ibidem

(8) Pope Francis, Encyclical Letter Praised yes24 May 2015, n. 61

(9) Ibidemn. 165

(10) Pope Francis, Apostolic Exhortation Praise God4 October 2023, n. 58

(11) See Pope Francis, Encyclical Letter Brothers all3 October 2020, n. 75