By Philip Pullella

VATICAN CITY, (Reuters) – Pope Francis joined other religious leaders to make a plea for the U.N. General Assembly next month. Climate Change Conference, COP26 will offer practical solutions to “an unprecedented ecological crises” and provide tangible solutions.

The meeting “Faith and Science Towards COP26”, which brought together Christian leaders, including Justin Welby, Archbishop to Canterbury and Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew as well representatives of Islam and Judaism as well as Sikhism and Judaism.

The pope stated that COP26 Glasgow is an urgent call to action to respond to the unimaginable ecological crisis and crisis of values we are currently experiencing and to give concrete hope for future generations.

In an address that he spoke in, he stated “We want the accompany it with our devotion and our spiritual nearness”. He gave it instead of reading it.

A joint appeal by religious leaders, in which climate change was referred to as a “grave danger”, was presented to Luigi Di Maio, the Italian foreign minister, and Alok Sharma from Britain, who are presidents of COP26 in Glasgow.

Sharma stated to them that the climate crisis was severe and can be averted.

Welby, the spiritual leader for world Anglicans called for a global financial architecture that “repents of its past mistakes”, and changes in tax regulations to encourage green activity.

“WAR ON THE CREATION”

Welby stated, “We have declared war on the creation in the last 100 years… Our war against climate affects those who are the most vulnerable among us.”

All governments are urged to take action to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius higher than preindustrial levels.

It stated that wealthier nations must lead the charge in reducing their emissions as well as financing emission reductions in poorer countries.

“We appeal to the international community, assembled at COP26 to take swift, responsible, and joint action to safeguard and restore our wounded humanity, and the home we entrusted with our stewardship,” read the executive summary of the appeal, which was presented at the opening of the meeting.

Many leaders emphasised that there was no way for any nation to do it all alone.

Rajwant Singh (a Sikh leader from America) sang for participants, “If one nation sinks we all sink.”

Francis wrote that religious and cultural differences are to be considered a strength in protecting the environment, rather than a weakness.

He stated, “Each person has their own religious beliefs and traditions. But, no cultural, political, or social barriers or barriers can prevent us all from coming together.”

Archbishop Paul Gallagher from the Vatican said that he hoped Monday’s meeting with Reuters could help “raise ambitious goals” for what can be done at Glasgow.

According to the bishops of Scotland, in July the pope was expected to attend the opening ceremonies for COP26, if health permits. In the coming days, a decision will be made.

Francis (84) strongly supports goals of 2015 U.N. Paris Agreement to lower global warming. At the weekend, he told the youth that they were “perhaps the last generation to save the earth.”

U.S. President Joe Biden has restored the United States’ membership in the Paris Agreements to its predecessor Donald Trump. Biden is expected to meet the pope at the Vatican in October.