Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Pope appeals to the young to save the planet, find peace

Pope Francis has traveled to Assisi, the birthplace of his namesake saint to deliver an appeal aimed at young people in hopes they can help save the Earth and make the world's economy more attentive to the poor

Via AP news wire
Saturday 24 September 2022 12:06 BST

Your support helps us to tell the story

This election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.

The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.

Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.

Pope Francis, visiting Assisi, the birthplace of his namesake saint who was close to nature, called on Saturday for “courage” in abandoning fossil fuels and lamented that older generations didn't know how to protect the planet and secure peace,

He told young people he was pinning his hopes on their efforts in working to save the planet and to make the world’s economy more attentive to the poor.

During his brief visit Saturday to the hill town in central Italy, Francis spoke to a gathering of some 1,000 young people, some of them young economists. Others are involved in efforts including start-ups, focused on helping the environment.

The participants came from all over the world. Among them was a woman who recounted to the pope how she and her husband were helped to flee Afghanistan after the takeover of the Taliban last year by an organization called The Economy of Francis, which is inspired by the life of St. Francis, with his attention to the poor and others in need.

The pope said a world economy is needed that expresses “a new vision of the environment and the Earth.”

“There are many people, businesses and institutions that are making an ecological conversion. We need to go forward on this road and do more,” Francis said.

The pontiff cited an urgent need to discuss models of development.

“Now is the time for new courage in abandoning fossil fuels to accelerate the development of zero- or positive-impact sources of energy,” Francis said.

He told the young people: “Our generation has left you with a rich heritage, but we have not known how to protect the planet and are not securing peace.”

He lamented a lack of “creativity, optimism, enthusiasm,” and told young people that “we are grateful to God that you are here. Not only will you be there tomorrow, but you are here today.”

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in