Pope Asks World Leaders to Listen to Earth, My Response: Yes, and Honor Women as Equals in Church and World

Bridget Mary's Response: Amen to Pope Francis' mandate to care for the planet, but the institutional church must also raise its voice to recognize its role in the crisis of the planet in our times. Women and their dependent children are two-thirds of the world's poor. The church's failure to promote responsible birth control, decisions of conscience on artificial birth control and women as priests and spiritual equals is a contributing factor to this ecological crisis. If the church honored women's voices and leadership, it could more effectively listen to the "cry of the Earth and the cry of the poor."Bridget Mary Meehan ARCWP, www.arcwp.org, sofiabmm@aol.com

 By The Associated Press

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis is urging world leaders to “listen to the cry of the Earth and the cry of the poor” and take measures to protect the environment.

Francis made the appeal Wednesday (Aug. 30)  in announcing that he and the spiritual leader of the world’s Orthodox Christians, Patriarch Bartholomew I, would be releasing a joint statement on care for God’s creation on Friday.

In 2015, Francis designated Sept. 1 as the church’s day for prayer for the environment, framing care for the planet as a moral issue.

In his announcement Wednesday, Francis urged everyone to be respectful and responsible toward the environment: “We also appeal to those who have influential roles to listen to the cry of the Earth and the cry of the poor, who suffer the most from ecological imbalance.”