Pope Francis Takes A Not-So-Subtle Dig At Trump’s Withdrawal From the Paris Accord
“We cannot be satisfied by saying ‘someone else will do it’”
On Monday, Pope Francis took a not-so-subtle dig at President Trump for his decision to withdraw from the Paris Accord.
In a speech made to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in Rome, Pope Francis praised the Paris agreement as one of the best ways to address the affects of climate change, before throwing some shade at the U.S. President.
“Thanks to scientific knowledge, we know how to confront the problem,” the pope said.
“The international community has also worked out the necessary legal methods, such as the Paris Accord, which unfortunately, some are distancing themselves from.”
The reference to President Trump was not missed by anyone. After all, it’s pretty easy to figure out who the pope was alluding to in his speech when the U.S. is the only nation out of 195 signatories to have withdrawn their signature from the accord.
Pope Francis has been a strong supporter of the Paris Accord since its inception. So when Trump first announced the withdrawal in June, a Vatican official said the move was a “slap in the face” for the pope.
The pope’s UN speech was made on FAO’s World Food Day to agriculture ministers and diplomats from the Group of Seven (G7) world power nations. This year’s theme was ‘addressing migration through investing in food security and rural development’, and Pope Francis used the opportunity to call on governments for more collaboration to ensure safer migration, disarmament commitments and the protection of our planet.
In his speech, the pope argued, “It is clear that wars and climatic change are a cause of hunger, so let’s not present it as if hunger is an incurable disease.”
“We need to make an effort towards a practical and complete consensus if we wish to prevent the most tragic events that continue to affect the poorest and most defenceless,” he said.
He then denounced the apparent “negligence toward the delicate equilibriums of the ecosystems, the presumption of manipulating and controlling the limited resources of the planet, and the greed for profit.”
“We cannot be satisfied by saying ‘someone else will do it’,” he concluded.
Watch a clip from the speech here.
