ANSA) - Vatican City, June 18 - Pope Francis said Thursday
the richest 20% of the world is killing the remainder by
consuming too many of the globe's resources and leaving nothing
behind.
In a much anticipated encyclical on the environment,
Francis said the commandment 'Thou shalt not kill' is violated
when the wealthy take too much, stealing from the poor and
future generations.
He said that ordinary citizens are paying the price for
government bailouts of banks and businesses, and warned against
economic growth that comes "at all costs".
It would be better to "slow down the pace" of expansion to
defend the environment and all people, he said.
The market can't be humanity's "paradigm", Francis added.
The market "creates a mechanism of compulsive consumption
in order to place its products" and a "lifestyle change" is
needed in the name of economic sustainability, Francis said.
Francis also denounced environmental degradation and said
that it primarily hurts "excluded people" and for that reason,
is treated as an "appendix" to other issues in discussions among
policy makers.
Francis said that too often, these high-level people have
no contact with the poor and suffering.
The depletion of resources is often used to "create" a
demand for new wars, disguised with lofty claims.
War in fact always causes serious damage to the environment
and raises risks of nuclear war with its mass destruction, the
pontiff warned.
Developing stronger and more effective international
institutions is "indispensable" in order to revert ecological
degradation and create sustainable development.
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