Pope: We Must ‘Avert the Most Serious Effects of the Environmental Deterioration Caused by Human Activity’

“In Laudato Si,’ I call for a courageous and responsible effort to redirect our steps and to avert the most serious effects of the environmental deterioration caused by human activity. I am convinced that we can make a difference, I am sure -- (Applause) -- and I have no doubt that the United States – and this Congress – have an important role to play. 

Now is the time for courageous actions and strategies, aimed at implementing a culture of care and an integrated approach to combating poverty, restoring dignity to the excluded, and at the same time protecting nature. (Applause) 

We have the freedom needed to limit and direct technology' 'to devise intelligent ways of developing and limiting our power, and to put technology, at the service of another type of progress, one which is healthier, more human, more social, more integral. In this regard, I am confident that America’s outstanding academic and research institutions can make a vital contribution in the years ahead.”