Pope Francis' General Audience: English summary

Dear Brothers and Sisters: Today marks the fiftieth anniversary of Earth Day.  This is an opportunity for renewing our commitment to caring for our common home.  We are called to cherish creation and all life within it, for the natural world is the “Gospel of Creation”, not a set of resources for us to exploit.  To overcome our selfishness and rediscover a sacred respect for the earth, we need a new way of seeing – an ecological conversion – for the earth is also God’s home and we stand on holy ground.  We can only be authentic custodians of the earth, and overcome the challenges before us – such as the coronavirus pandemic – by acting in solidarity with one another.  As the Encyclical Letter Laudato Si’ reminds us, we are one interdependent human family and so need a common response to the threats we face (cf. 164).  In this Easter season of renewal, as we strive to love more deeply our common home and all our brothers and sisters, especially those most in need, let us implore our Heavenly Father: “Send forth your Spirit, O Lord, and renew the face of the earth” (cf. Ps 104:30).

I greet the English-speaking faithful joining us through the media.  In the joy of the Risen Christ, I invoke upon you and your families the loving mercy of God our Father.  May the Lord bless you!