(CNN)In a sweeping address to the United Nations on Friday, Pope Francis
presented himself as a champion of the poor and dispossessed, urging
world leaders to adopt concrete solutions to combat widespread poverty
and environmental destruction. #UN70
Pope Francis at the UN General Assembly: The future demands action now http://nyti.ms/1LaYvJL
Pope Francis at the UN General Assembly: The future demands action now http://nyti.ms/1LaYvJL
Francis,
who is in New York as part of a week long visit to the United States, is
the fifth pope to address the United Nations, and his speech followed a
familiar papal formula.
First,
the Pope laid out his moral vision for a more just world, arguing for a
series of "sacred rights," including labor, land and lodging.
Adopting
the urgent tone of a disappointed prophet, he then listed the most
pressing problems facing humanity -- from drug trafficking to the
nuclear arms race and the rise of an "all-powerful elite" that hoards
wealth and resources.
"In
effect, a selfish and boundless thirst for power and material prosperity
leads both to the misuse of available natural resources and to the
exclusion of the weak and disadvantaged," Francis said.
Lastly, the Pope offered ideas for world leaders to consider.
Here's exactly what the Pope thinks is wrong with the world, followed by his suggestions for fixing them:
Powerful elites rule the world
Poor
countries don't have a real presence in the United Nations, and poor
people don't have a voice in international aid programs and projects,
the Pope said.
"To enable
these real men and women to escape from extreme poverty," he said, "we
must allow them to be dignified agents of their own destiny."
New #GlobalGoals hailed as a universal, integrated & transformative vision for a better world http://t.co/PtzdnKkHIo pic.twitter.com/fthC0zBjlb
— United Nations (@UN) September 26, 2015
Talk, talk, talk
New #GlobalGoals hailed as a universal, integrated & transformative vision for a better world http://t.co/PtzdnKkHIo pic.twitter.com/fthC0zBjlb
— United Nations (@UN) September 26, 2015
— World Economic Forum (@wef) September 26, 2015
World
leaders seem not to realize that while they hedge, real people suffer,
Francis said. When they finally do find a solution, it is often imposed
without thought to local realities.
"In
wars and conflicts, there are individual persons, our brothers and
sisters, men and women, young and old, boys and girls who weep, suffer
and die," he said, "human beings who are easily discarded when our only
response is to draw up lists of problems, strategies and disagreements."
While praising the U.N. as an
important instrument for good, the Pope also noted that certain
countries have been able to manipulate the international body to block
urgent action.
Noting the
conflicts in Ukraine, Syria, Iraq, Libya and Sudan, Francis said some
world leaders have used the U.N. not to solve problems, but "as a means
of masking spurious intentions."
"These
realities should serve as a grave summons to an examination of
conscience on the part of those charged with the conduct of
international affairs."
'United by fear and distrust'
Nuclear
weapons are poor instruments of peace, the Pope said, frankly
dismissing the idea that no one will use bombs if everybody has them.
"An
ethics and a law based on the threat of mutual destruction -- and
possibly the destruction of all mankind," he said, "are
self-contradictory and an affront to the entire framework of the United
Nations, which would end up as nations united by fear and distrust."
No checks, no balances
World
leaders can draw up all the treaties and programs they want, the Pope
said. But if there are no ways of enforcing decisions, they remain
useless white papers.
"The number and complexity of the problems require that we possess technical instruments of verification," Francis said.
But even those "instruments" can become bureaucratic mazes in which real solutions recede into a hazy horizon, he said.
"We cannot permit ourselves to postpone 'certain agendas' for the future," the Pope said.
"The
future demands of us critical and global decisions in the face of
worldwide conflicts which increase the number of the excluded and those
in need."
See @pontifex's #UNGA address where he speaks about the importance of #GlobalGoals like reducing inequality https://t.co/NCOUgLJQln
— United Nations (@UN) September 26, 2015
The Pope's solutions
Popes
don't often offer concrete solutions global problems. But Francis is no
ordinary pope. On Friday, he proposed three specific paths to a more
"sustainable development of countries."
• An international justice league: In
previous speeches, the Pope has lamented that poor countries are
plundered for their natural resources, with no legal means to fight
back.
On Friday, he proposed the creation of a "juridical system" for regulating claims and limiting power.
• Mother Earth has rights: This
summer, Pope Francis traveled to Bolivia and Ecuador, two of the few
countries that grant "rights of nature" -- protecting the air, trees and
water.
On Friday, he backed the idea of "right of the environment," for two reasons.
1. Any harm to the Earth also harms humanity.
2. Every living creature has intrinsic value, beauty and is interdependent with other forms of life.
• Beyond the dotted lines: As
Francis noted, the U.N. began its summit for sustainable development
Friday, and in December, world leaders will gather for a summit on
climate change.
The Pope's speech on Friday, as well as his eco-encyclical, aimed to influence those agreements, Francis has said.
#PopeFrancis: "keep in mind all those people around us who are trapped in a cycle of poverty." #PopeInDC #PopeInUS http://t.co/BMnwtgXZ5D
— Speaker John Boehner (@SpeakerBoehner) September 24, 2015
"Solemn commitments, however, are not enough, even though they are a necessary step toward solutions," he said.
What
the world needs, Francis argued, is a renewed sense of sacrifice for
the common good and solidarity between the rich and poor, races and
religions, the powerful and powerless.
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