Oceans are a gift from God and they must be used fairly and sustainably, Pope Francis said in message written for him by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, for the Our Ocean Conference.
“All of us depend on oceans,” which all of humanity has “received as a gift from the creator,” the papal message said. Because they belong to all of humanity, “we must use oceans in a just and sustainable way” so they will be “in good shape” when passed on to future generations, the message said.
Some “alarming” problems affecting oceans, the message said, include pollution, acidification, illegal fishing and overfishing. It also expressed concern over deep-sea mining. Other tragedies include the plight of immigrants who travel by sea, human trafficking that takes place at sea, and the very difficult conditions or illegal work people may be subjected to. The Pope proposes three ways humanity could improve its relationship with oceans.
Read the Pope’s proposals here