Catholic Leaders Express Hope with President’s Announcement that U.S. Will Rejoin the Paris Agreement on Climate Change
Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City and Bishop David J. Malloy of Rockford, respective chairmen of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committees on Domestic Justice and Human Development and International Justice and Peace, and Sean L. Callahan, president and CEO of Catholic Relief Services, have released the following joint statement
WASHINGTON – Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City and Bishop David J. Malloy of Rockford, respective chairmen of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committees on Domestic Justice and Human Development and International Justice and Peace, and Sean L. Callahan, president and CEO of Catholic Relief Services, have released the following joint statement:
“President Joseph R. Biden announced yesterday that the United States will rejoin the Paris Agreement on climate change. It is our hope that the United States will not only seize this challenge to meet the goal of net-zero emissions by 2050, called for by the U.S. bishops in 2017, but also become the global climate leader by implementing successful policies that both preserve the environment and promote economic development through innovation, investment and enterprise.
“On the fifth anniversary of the Paris Agreement, Pope Francis called for ‘a culture of care, which places human dignity and the common good at the center.’ The environment and human beings everywhere, especially the poor and vulnerable, stand to benefit from the care of our common home. For this reason, we urge the United States to do more to help poorer nations adapt to the changes in climate that cannot be prevented.
“The Second Vatican Council asserted that ‘nothing genuinely human fails to raise an echo in’ the hearts of Christians. Climate change is a genuine human concern that affects all peoples, and the decision to rejoin the Paris Agreement is an important step in the path of care for the environment and respect for the human family.”
Previous USCCB and CRS advocacy related to the Paris Agreement can be found at the following links:
- CRS Stands by Paris Agreement Five Years After Its Signing (December 11, 2020)
- CRS Opposes U.S. Withdrawal from Paris Agreement (November 4, 2019)
- USCCB and CRS Letter to Secretary of State Pompeo on Paris Agreement (November 14, 2019)
- Letter to Congress Urging Funding for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (November 10, 2017)
- U.S. Bishops Chairman Regrets the President’s Withdrawal From The Paris Agreement (June 1, 2017)
- CRS Disappointed in Administration's Decision to Pull Out of Paris Climate Agreement (June 1, 2017)
- U.S. Bishops Chairman Urges the President to Honor The Paris Agreement (June 1, 2017)
- The Paris Agreement and Global Solidarity (June 1, 2017)
- Letter to Secretary of State Tillerson Regarding Care for Creation (February 17, 2017) (This letter was also delivered to the Secretary of the Treasury and the National Security Advisor on May 5, 2017)
- CRS Praises U.S. Signing Paris Climate Accord on Earth Day (April 22, 2016)
- CRS Applauds the Paris Climate Change Accords (December 16, 2015)
- Letter to Congress on Green Climate Fund and Support of Agreement on Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions (October 28, 2015)
- Letter to the U.S. Department of State Supporting Efforts to Secure Global Commitments to Reduce Carbon Emissions (October 28, 2015)
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