Pope Francis’ stern reprimand at the UN did not call out any nation or leader (File)
The United Nations:
Pope Francis on Friday warned world leaders against a growing breakdown in multilateralism, calling in a speech at the United Nations to end what he called a global “climate of mistrust”.
“Currently, we are witnessing an erosion of multilateralism, which is all the more serious in light of the development of new forms of military technology,” the Argentine Pope said in a video address to the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
“We must break with the current climate of mistrust,” declared the pontiff, who called for a relaxation of international sanctions because they are harmful to civilian populations, without citing specific countries.
Francis’ stern rebuke to the UN did not call for any nation or leader.
But the spiritual leader of 1.3 billion Catholics worldwide blamed the international community for what he called a lax and rambling response to a host of pressing social issues, including human rights, refugees and humanitarian crises, environmental destruction, economic inequalities and nuclear proliferation. .
He contrasted his remarks in front of the body with his last address in person in 2015, an era “marked by a truly dynamic multilateralism”, he said.
“It was a time of great hope and promise for the international community,” just before the adoption of the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, a commitment to end poverty and hunger, and the subsequent adoption of the Paris Climate Agreement to combat climate change.
“We have to honestly admit that while some progress has been made, the international community has shown itself largely incapable of delivering on the promises made five years ago,” said Francis.
President Donald Trump has withdrawn the United States from the Paris climate agreement, whose future will be in part determined by the outcome of the November 3 U.S. election – Trump’s rival Joe Biden pledging to go back to the agreements.
“Harmful to all”
Francis, who made defending the poor and the environment a central theme of his papacy, said the world faced a choice between “multilateralism as an expression of a renewed sense of global co-responsibility” or, on the other hand, a path towards nationalism, protectionism and isolation.
“It excludes the poor, the vulnerable and those who live on the periphery of life,” Francis said, warning that such a path would “be detrimental to the whole community.”
“We must also admit that humanitarian crises have become the status quo,” he added, saying that efforts to deal with such global crises have often failed because “individual states are shirking their responsibilities and commitments “.
The Pope also made a long appeal for nuclear disarmament and against militarization in all its forms.
“We must dismantle the perverse logic that links personal and national security with the possession of weapons,” said the Pope, accusing that military spending “continues to waste precious resources which could be better used for the benefit of the integral development of the peoples and protect the natural environment. “
(Except for the title, this story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is posted from a syndicated feed.)
