by Margaux Salcedo
In his message before the Diplomatic Corps accredited to the Holy See, Pope Francis made special mention of the Philippines as he talked about climate change and "our common home".
As His Holiness noted the "growing collective awareness of the urgent need to care for 'our common home', which is suffering from the constant and indiscriminate exploitation of its resources," he made special mention of the Philippines:
I think especially of the Philippines ... and of other nations in the Asia Pacific made vulnerable by the negative effects of climate change.
He said that climate change has endangered the lives of inhabitants, "most of whom are dependent on agriculture, fishing and natural resources".
He urged the international community to urgent action: "This realization should impel the international community to discover and implement common solutions," Pope Francis said.
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Read the entire State of the World Address here:
Read the Vatican's summary here: