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U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon addresses Vatican summit on climate change.

U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is banking on Pope Francis to be a unifying moral force to get the world onboard in the fight against global warming. He spoke at the Vatican on April 28 at an international gathering about the moral dimensions of climate change and sustainable development. “The reason I’m coming to the pope,” Ban told reporters, is that “I need the moral support and spiritual support of religious leaders.” In a statement released at the conclusion of the summit, “Climate Change and the Common Good,” participants warned of the catastrophic potential of climate change. They concluded, “Prudence and justice demand that we take note of these risks and act upon them in time, for the sake of all humanity, but especially for the weak, the vulnerable, and the future generations whose well-being depends on our generation’s actions.”

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