Statement "A call for climate justice"

This is the statement made by over 90 Bishops ahead of the UN climate conference in Poznan in December 2008, in support of the Climate Justice campaign launched by CIDSE and Caritas Internationalis.

Download the statement and list of signatories as PDF

A Call for Climate Justice

We, Catholic Bishops from the south and the north, address the world’s leaders as they prepare for the United Nations Climate Summits in Poznan and Copenhagen that will be decisive for the lives and livelihoods of all humanity.

We are deeply concerned by the disproportionate impact human-induced climate change is having on poor and vulnerable people living in developing countries. Poor communities in developing countries are subject to the harshest effects of climate change, though they have done least to cause it.

We, and the faithful in our communities, including millions of men, women and children from diverse cultures around the world, stand in profound solidarity with our global sisters and brothers.

It is our moral obligation to take urgent action to tackle climate change and to do so in support of those most affected.

We call on you to achieve a strong, binding and just global climate agreement to ensure the survival and wellbeing of all God’s children.

As a matter of equity and responsibility, those who have created the problem must pay for the solution. Economically developed nations have a moral obligation to tackle climate change because of their disproportionate consumption of natural resources.

Climate change is a reality today, affecting the lives and livelihoods of millions in developing countries by exacerbating storms, droughts and natural disasters. It is imperative that these countries receive the economic and technical assistance they need to adapt to climate change and ensure better lives and livelihoods for their people.

We believe that we have a responsibility to exercise stewardship over the earth and its creatures. We are commanded to love our neighbours and to protect and care for life. Each of us has responsibility to promote and to protect the common good, and to hold our governments to account for their actions in accordance with this.

Climate Change is an issue of social justice, and must be met in solidarity by stretching our collective perspective beyond the limitations of short-term interests, to one that protects and promotes the common good of all. This is why we stand behind the joint CIDSE and Caritas Internationalis campaign for climate justice, which brings together more than 170 Catholic organisations calling for global solidarity in tackling the causes and effects of climate change.

Pope John Paul II reminded us that ‘People are realising that they are linked together by a common destiny, which is to be constructed together, if catastrophe for all is to be avoided’.

Today, more than ever, we must take his words to heart and tackle climate change as one international family, to ensure our and future generations’ wellbeing and survival.

Signed in December 2008 by

• Rodolfo Cardinal QUEZADA Toruño, Archbishop of Guatemala
• Joseph Cardinal ZEN Ze-kiun, S.D.B., Bishop of Hong Kong, China
• Archbishop John Atcherley DEW, Archshop of Wellington, New Zealand
• Archbishop Pedro Ricardo BARRETO Jimeno S.J., Archbishop of Huancayo and President of the Episcopal Commission for Social Action (CEAS), Peru
• Archbishop Jorge FERREIRA da Costa Ortiga, Archbishop of Braga and President of the Bishops Conference of Portugal
• Archbishop Fernand FRANCK, Archbishop of Luxembourg
• Archbishop Damião António FRANKLIN, Archbishop of Luanda and President of the Bishops Conference of Angola- and Sao Tomé
• Archbishop Roberto Octavio GONZÁLEZ Nieves, O.F.M., Archbishop of San Juan de Puerto Rico
• Archbishop Felix Alaba Adeosin JOB, Archbishop of Ibadan, President Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria
• Archbishop Matthew Man-oso NDAGOSO, Archbishop of Kaduna, Nigeria
• Archbishop Matthias N'GARTÉRI Mayadi, Archbishop of N’Djaména, Chad
• Archbishop Antoine NTALOU, Archbishop of Garoua, Cameroun
• Archbishop Berhaneyesus Demerew SOURAPHIEL C.M., Archbishop of Addis Abeba and President of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Ethiopia
• Archbishop Andrés STANOVNIK O.F.M Cap., Archbishop of Corrientes, Argentina
• Archbishop Joseph Edra UKPO, Archbishop of Calabar, Chairman, JDP/Caritas Nigeria
• Archbishop Oscar Julio VIAN Morales, S.D.B., Archbishop of Los Altos Quetzaltenango-Totonicapán, Guatemala
• Bishop Mgr. Adrianus Herman VAN LUYN, Bishop of Rotterdam and Interim Chairman on behalf of the Dutch Bishops Conference, The Netherlands
• Bishop Darwin Rudy ANDINO Ramírez, C.R.S., Auxiliary Bishop of Tegucigalpa, Titular Bishop of Horta, Honduras
• Bishop Abdo ARBACH B.C., Exarch of Argentina, Faithful of the Oriental Rite (Melkite), Titular Bishop of Palmyra dei Greco-Melkiti, Argentina
• Bishop José Luis AZUAJE Ayala, Bishop of El Vigia-San Carlos de Zulia and President of Caritas Venezuela
• Bishop Fernando María BARGALLÓ, Bishop of Merlo-Moreno, Argentina and President of Caritas Latin America and the Caribbean (SELACC)
• Bishop Domenico BERNI Leonardi O.S.A., Prelate of Chuquibambilla, Peru
• Bishop Jesús Tirso BLANCO S.D.B., Bishop of Lwena, Angola
• Bishop Elías Samuel BOLAÑOS Avelar, S.D.B., Bishop of Zacatecoluca, El Salvador
• Bishop Julio César BONINO Bonino, Bishop of Tacuarembo and President of the Social Department of the Bishops Conference, Uruguay
• Jean-Claude BOUCHARD O.M.I, Bishop of Pala, President of the Episcopal Conference of Chad
• Bishop Virginio Domingo BRESSANELLI S.C.I., Bishop of Comodoro Rivadavia, Argentina
• Bishop Oscar Mario BROWN Jiménez, Bishop of Santiago de Veraguas, Panama
• Bishop Denis George BROWNE, Bishop of Hamilton in New Zealand
• Bishop Julio Edgar CABRERA Ovalle, Bishop of Jalapa, Guatemala
• Bishop Rodrigo Orlando CABRERA Cuéllar, Bishop of Santiago de María, El Salvador
• Bishop Roberto CAMILLERI Azzopardi, O.F.M., Bishop of Comayagua, Honduras
• Bishop Alberto CAMPOS Hernández O.F.M., Vicar Apostolic of San José de Amazonas, Titular
• Bishop of Vicus Augusti, Peru
• Bishop António José CAVACO Carrilho, Bishop of Funchal, Portugal
• Bishop Emiliano Antonio CISNEROS Martínez, O.A.R., Bishop of Chachapoyas, Peru
• Bishop Peter James CULLINANE, Bishop of Palmerston North, New Zealand
• Bishop George DODO, Bishop of Zaria
• Bishop Paul Francis DUFFY O.M.I., Bishop of Mongu, Zambia
• Bishop Ramon Alfredo DUS, Bishop of Reconquista, Argentina
• Bishop Joseph Effiong EKUWEM, Bishop of Uyo
• Bishop Rómulo EMILIANI Sánchez, C.M.F., Auxiliary Bishop of San Pedro Sula, Titular Bishop of Nigrae Maiores, Honduras
• Bishop Oscar Gerardo FERNÁNDEZ Guillén, Bishop of Puntarenas, Costa Rica
• Bishop Ivo FUERER, Bishop Emeritus of Sankt Gallen and President of Fastenopfer, Switzerland
• Bishop Jean-Louis GIASSON, P.M.E., Bishop of Yoro, Honduras
• Bishop Theotonius GOMES C.S.C., Auxiliary Bishop of Dhaka, Titular Bishop of Zucchabar, Bangladesh
• Bishop Pedro Joaquin HERNÁNDEZ Cantarero, C.M.F., Vicar Apostolic of Darién, Titular Bishop of Thabraca, Panama
• Bishop Luigi INFANTI della Mora, O.S.M., Bishop of Aysén, Chile
• Bishop Miguel IRIZAR Campos C.P., Bishop of Callao and President of Caritas Peru
• Bishop Barry Philip JONES, Bishop of Christchurch, New Zealand
• Bishop Aloysius JOUSTEN, Bishop of Liège, Refendary of Caritas Belgium, Belgium
• Bishop John KIRBY, Bishop of Clonfert, Chairman of Trócaire, Ireland
• Bishop Kurt KOCH, Bishop of Basel and President of the Swiss Bishops Conference, Switzerland
• Father Joseph KOERBER C.S.Sp., Président of Caritas Gabon, Prefect of Makokou, Gabon
• Bishop Czeslaw KOZON, Bishop of Copenhagen, Denmark
• Bishop Aurelio José KÜHN Hergenreder, O.F.M., Bishop of Deán Funes, Cordoba, Argentina
• Bishop Declan Ronan LANG, Bishop of Clifton, England
• Bishop Robin Walsh LEAMY S.M., Auxiliary Bishop of Auckland, New Zealand, Emeritus Bishop of Rarotonga, Cook Islands
• Bishop Guillermo LORÍA Garita, Bishop of San Isidro de El General, Costa Rica
• Bishop Jorge Eduardo LOZANO, Bishop of Gualeguaychú, Argentina
• Bishop José Adolfo MOJICA Morales, Bishop of Sonsonate, El Salvador
• Bishop Nestor Hugo NAVARRO, Bishop of Alto Valle del Rio Negro, Argentina
• Bishop Santiago OLIVERA, Bishop of Cruz del Eje, Argentina
• Bishop Marcelino PALENTINI S.C.I., Bishop of Jujuy, Argentina
• Bishop Lino PANIZZA Richero O.F.M., Cap., Bishop of Carabayllo and General Secretary of the Episcopal Conference of Peru
• Bishop Maurice PIAT, C.S.Sp., Bishop of Port-Louis, Mauritius
• Bishop Juan José PINEDA Fasquelle, C.M.F., Auxiliary Bishop of Tegucigalpa, Titular Bishop of Obori, Honduras
• Bishop Guido PLANTE, P.M.E., Bishop of Choluteca, Honduras
• Bishop Jaime PRIETO Amaya,Bishop of Cúcuta, President of the Social Department of the Bishops Conference, Colombia
• Bishop Gaspar QUINTANA Jorquera C.M.F, Bishop of Copiapó, Chile
• Bishop Alvaro Leonel RAMAZZINI Imeri, Bishop of San Marcos, Guatemala
• Bishop John RAWSTHORNE, Bishop of Hallam, England
• Bishop Guillermo RODRÍGUEZ Melgarejo, Bishop of San Martín, Argentina
• Bishop Juan Carlos ROMANIN S.D.B,Bishop of Rio Gallegos, Argentina
• Bishop Pedro Luis RONCHINO S.D.B., Bishop Emeritus of Comodoro Rivadavia, Argentina
• Bishop Michele RUSSO M.C.C.I., Bishop of Doba, Chad
• Bishop Bernabé de Jesús SAGASTUME Lemus, O.F.M. Cap., Bishop of Santa Rosa de Lima, Guatemala
• Bishop Rémi Joseph Gustave SAINTE-MARIE M.Afr., Bishop of Lilongwe and Chairman of CADECOM, Malawi
• Bishop Luis Alfonso SANTOS Villeda, S.D.B., Bishop of Santa Rosa de Copán, Honduras
• Bishop Dr. Ludwig SCHWARZ S.D.B., Bishop of Linz, President of the Coordination office of the Austrian Episcopal Conference for Development, and President of Justice and Peace Austria
• Bishop Miguel Angel SEBASTIÁN Martínez M.C.C.I., Bishop of Lai, Chad
• Bishop Boniface Tshosa SETLALEKGOSI, Bishop of Gaborone, Botswana
• Bishop Jorge SOLÓRZANO Pérez, Bishop of Matagalpa, Nicaragua
• Bishop John TONG HON, Coadjutor Bishop of Hong Kong
• Bishop Lucius Iwejuru UGORJI, Bishop of Umuahia, Secretary Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria
• Bishop Adolfo Armando URIONA F.D.P., Bishop of Añatuya, Argentina
• Mons. Luiz Demétrio VALENTINI, Bishop of Jales, Sao Paulo and President of Caritas Brazil
• Bishop Rodolfo VALENZUELA NÚÑEZ, Bishop of Verapaz, Cobán, Guatemala
• Bishop Roger Joseph VANGHELUWE, Bishop of Brugge, referendary of Broederlijk Delen and Caritas Belgium in the Belgian Bishops Conference, Belgium
• Bishop Pablo VARELA Server, Auxiliary Bishop of Panama and President of Caritas Panama
  Bishop Juan Carlos VERA Plasencia, M.S.C., Prelate of Caravelí, Peru
• Mons. Juan Luis YSERN de Arce, Bishop Emeritus of San Carlos de Ancud and President of Caritas Chile
• Bishop Gabino ZAVALA, Auxiliary Bishop of Los Angeles, California, Titular Bishop of Tamascani, President of Pax Christi USA
  Bishop Joseph Mukasa ZUZA, Bishop of Mzuzu, Malawi
• Fr Hector Fabio HENAO, Director of the Social Department of the Bishops Conference, Director of Caritas Colombia