SYDNEY, Australia — Pope Benedict XVI said Thursday that mankind’s “insatiable consumption” has scarred the Earth and squandered its resources, telling followers that taking care of the planet is vital to humanity.
The 81-year-old pontiff, appearing rested and in good form, gave his first major speech for Roman Catholicism’s World Youth Day before adoring crowds who had traveled from 168 countries to see him in Australia’s largest city.
As the sun set in the mild chill of the Australian winter, Benedict struck a theme that has earned him a reputation as the “green pope.”
“Some of you come from island nations whose very existence is threatened by rising water levels, others from nations suffering the effects of devastating drought,” the pope said, referring to global warming.
He noted that during his more than 20-hour flight from Rome to Sydney he had a bird’s-eye view of a vast swath of the world that inspired awe and introspection.
“Perhaps reluctantly we come to acknowledge that there are also scars which mark the surface of our Earth: erosion, deforestation, the squandering of the world’s mineral and ocean resources in order to fuel an insatiable consumption,” he said.
Benedict has sought to reach out to young people through new media, sending daily mobile phone text messages citing scripture to thousands of registered pilgrims at the event — signed with the tagline “BXVI.” Seeking to inspire a new generation, he warned the young Roman Catholics that a society without unwavering values is bound to suffer confusion and despair.
He decried alcohol, drug abuse and “the exaltation of violence and sexual degradation, often presented through television and the Internet as entertainment.”
Benedict was given a festive welcome for the youth event after three days of vacation in bush country outside Sydney to get over his jet lag. He took a cruise through Sydney’s famous harbor and met with Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, praising the Australian government for its “courageous” apology to the country’s indigenous Aborigines for past injustices.
