Xavier Cortada, “ΙΧΘΥΣ (Ichthys),” digital art, 2015.

• June 16, 2015.: Honoring the Future® Sponsors Letter To Pope Francis on Climate Change (see below), Washington, D.C 
• June 18, 2015  Pope’s Warning on Global Warming Should Hit Miami Hardest, by Chuck Strausl, Miami New Times, Miami, FL

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NEWS
June 16, 2015
Media only: Fran Dubrowski press@honoringthefuture.org

Honoring the Future® Sponsors Letter To Pope Francis on Climate Change

Honoring the Future, a nonprofit climate education project, is asking U.S. Catholics and all people of good will to join a letter to Pope Francis committing to consider the Pope’s forthcoming messages on climate change “with open minds, generous hearts, and a willingness to honor our responsibility to care lovingly for the earth….” See www.honoringthefuture.org/papal

Pope Francis will issue a formal letter on climate change on June 18, followed in September by a visit to the United States to address a joint session of the U.S. Congress and the U.N. General Assembly.

“These historic events are an opportunity for all Americans to pause and reflect on the human and moral implications of climate change and to consider what they can do to respond to the threat – individually and together with their community – where they live, work, study, and play,” said Fran Dubrowski, project director.

“Other individuals and institutions are writing Pope Francis with advice about the content of his encyclical and messages. We think it is important that Americans also listen to what the Pope is saying – and find, in Pope Francis’ leadership, inspiration to commit to be an agent of change, to ensure a better world for our children, grandchildren, and generations to come.” Dubrowski said.

The letter includes an original digital artwork created by Xavier Cortada to welcome Pope Francis’ climate change message and U.S. visit.  Cortada is an award-winning American artist whose work often carries messages about the environment.  This recent work portrays iconic images meant to evoke traditions of respect for creation, fellowship, and community.  Using art to communicate about climate change is a hallmark of Honoring the Future, whose mission is to harness the power of art to educate, empower, and engage the public to act on climate change.

Background

In September, 2015, the Pope will travel to Washington DC. He will become the first Pope ever to address a joint session of Congress.  He will also travel to Philadelphia and to New York City, where he will speak to the United Nations in anticipation of international negotiations on climate change scheduled to take place in Paris this December.

Before his trip, the Pope plans to issue a rare “encyclical” – a formal letter of guidance to the whole church – on climate change.   This will be the first encyclical to focus primarily on climate change and human responsibility for the environment.

The text of Honoring the Future’s letter to the Pope follows.

Your Holiness:

We welcome your historic visit to the United States.

We are grateful you have chosen this critical time to address human responsibility for climate change.

We pray that you will inspire us to respect and protect creation.

We pray also for the grace to listen to your message on climate change with open minds, generous hearts, and a willingness to honor our responsibility to care lovingly for the earth we leave our children, grandchildren, and generations to come.

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Honoring the Future is a project of the Open Space Institute, Inc., a nonprofit public charity exempt from federal income tax under sections 501(c)(3) and 509(a)(1) of the Internal Revenue Code.