On February 15, the Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See to the UN gave an intervention during the Preparatory Meeting for the United Nations Conference to Support the Implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14 (Conserve and sustaintably use the oceans, seas and marine resources). The Preparatory Meeting was dedicated to a discussion on “Elements of a Call to Action.”

In its statement, the Holy See said that in response to the current ecological crisis, “new direction and bold action” are required. The Catholic Church, it said, preceding and following Pope Francis’ encyclical on care for our common home, Laudato Si’, has initiated dialogues all over the world on the need for new initiatives to protect our planet and bring about an integral ecology. The Holy See proposed six elements for a Call To Action: the moral need for each person to get involved; special priority for the poor and those most affected by environmental degradation; intergenerational solidarity; a more unified system of government of the oceans; marine spatial planning frameworks; and a balance between the protection of biodiversity and the environment with food security and marine employment.

The statement can be found here.