Tag Archives: Pope Francis
Pope Francis Laments ‘Tragic’ Shipwreck of F/V Villa de Pitanxo
“The Holy Father expresses his heartfelt condolences, as well as his solidarity, in these moments of sorrow.” The pope “prays to God for the eternal repose of the victims and expresses his closeness to the families who mourn their loved ones,” The Galicia-based trawler Villa de Pitanxo sank early Tuesday some 250 miles off the coast of Newfoundland with just three known survivors out of a crew of 24, making the disaster Spain’s worst fishing tragedy in 38 years. Current theories suggest that the ship, which was loaded with a good catch of halibut, was weighed down at the stern and, complicated by waves reaching eight meters in height, was flooded and sank in a matter of minutes. >click to read< 09:01
Papal Encyclical Draws Harsh Critique from Peru’s Private Fishery Sector
Elena Conterno is a former minister of production for the Peruvian government and she has served as president of the National Fisheries Society of Peru since 2013. It’s an important position: Peru lays claim to one of the planet’s most productive commercial fisheries, with a world market for more than 6 million tons of fish for animal feed, fertilizer and human consumption annually. Conterno’s role as a policy maker and lobbyist is highly influential. She spoke with journalist Justin Catanoso about Peru’s fisheries, government regulations, the poor, and her views on Pope Francis’ encyclical on environmental protection. The interview was edited for length and clarity. Read the rest here 20:37
Easy prey? Not anymore – “the onslaught of NGO and media prevarication” and Pope Francis
Fishermen, especially the small-scale ones, represent easy prey for groups driven and financed by powerful interests, who blame them for damaging the marine environment, whether or not that is actually happening. Some are supported by petro-chemical industries and large – often corporate – owners of industrial fishing fleets, with an increasing appetite for the inshore, coastal fishery resources accessible to and traditionally exploited by artisanal and other small-scale fishing people. Read the rest here 09:17
The Pope’s Environmental Message. There’s Plenty That Environmentalists Might Not Want to Hear
Pope Francis, who certainly heaps plenty of blame on humans for the mess we have made of the natural world, is having none of this absolutist environmental “It’s Us Against Nature” piety. Nature cannot be regarded as something separate from ourselves or as a mere setting in which we live. When we speak of the “environment,” what we really mean is a relationship existing between nature and the society which lives in it. Nature cannot be regarded as something separate from ourselves or as a mere setting in which we live. We are part of nature, included in it and thus in constant interaction with it. Nor does Pope Francis have much affection for the pragmatic market-based Ecomodernist approach of self-proclaimed “modern” environmentalists who propose that technology and human wisdom can make the future good, even great. Read the rest here 08:39
