Pope's general audience of June 5, World Environment Day

05 June, 2013 - As usual, Pope Francis held his weekly general audience this Wednesday. The public meeting is an opportunity for pilgrims and tourists visiting Rome to see and hear the Pope, and also receive his blessing. The general audience of June 5th was held in the open, in Rome’s St. Peter’s Square. It began with aides reading a passage from the Letter of St. Paul to the Romans in several languages.
Listen to scripture passage:

Basing himself on the scripture passage, Pope Francis delivered his main discourse in Italian - summaries of which were then read out by aides in various languages, including in English. An aide first greeted the Pope on behalf of the pilgrims and visitors.
Listen:
Our Audience today coincides with World Environment Day, and so it is fitting to reflect on our responsibility to cultivate and care for the earth in accordance with God’s command (cf. Gen 2:15). We are called not only to respect the natural environment, but also to show respect for, and solidarity with, all the members of our human family. These two dimensions are closely related; today we are suffering from a crisis which is not only about the just management of economic resources, but also about concern for human resources, for the needs of our brothers and sisters living in extreme poverty, and especially for the many children in our world lacking adequate education, health care and nutrition. Consumerism and a “culture of waste” have led some of us to tolerate the waste of precious resources, including food, while others are literally wasting away from hunger. I ask all of you to reflect on this grave ethical problem in a spirit of solidarity grounded in our common responsibility for the earth and for all our brothers and sisters in the human family.

Pope Francis greeted the various language groups mostly in Italian but also in Spanish, his native language.
Listen:
I offer an affectionate greeting to all the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors present at today’s Audience, including those from England, Scotland, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Singapore and the United States. God bless you all! (BLESSING)