A quote from Pope Francis:
“There is a relationship between our life and that of mother earth, between the way we live and the gift we have received from God. 'The human environment and the natural environment deteriorate together; we cannot adequately combat environmental degradation unless we attend to causes related to human and social degradation.' Yet just as both can 'deteriorate,' we can also say that they can 'support one another and can be changed for the better.' This reciprocal relationship can lead to openness, transformation, and life, or to destruction and death.
One thing is certain: we can no longer turn our backs on reality, on our brothers and sisters, on mother earth. It is wrong to turn aside from what is happening all around us, as if certain situations did not exist or have nothing to do with our life. It is not lawful, much less human, to enter into the culture of waste. Again and again we sense the urgency of the question which God put to Cain, 'Where is your brother?' But I wonder if our answer continues to be: 'Am I my brother’s keeper?' ”
-- Meeting at Pontifical Catholic University, Quito, Ecuador, July 8, 2015
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