Pope: Use Pandemic to Give the Environment a Vital 'Rest'

In this Oct. 4, 2019 file photo, members of indigenous populations perform a tree-planting rite for Pope Francis, figure in white sitting at right, on the occasion of the feast of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of ecology, in the Vatican gardens. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino, file)
In this Oct. 4, 2019 file photo, members of indigenous populations perform a tree-planting rite for Pope Francis, figure in white sitting at right, on the occasion of the feast of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of ecology, in the Vatican gardens. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino, file)
TT
20

Pope: Use Pandemic to Give the Environment a Vital 'Rest'

In this Oct. 4, 2019 file photo, members of indigenous populations perform a tree-planting rite for Pope Francis, figure in white sitting at right, on the occasion of the feast of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of ecology, in the Vatican gardens. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino, file)
In this Oct. 4, 2019 file photo, members of indigenous populations perform a tree-planting rite for Pope Francis, figure in white sitting at right, on the occasion of the feast of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of ecology, in the Vatican gardens. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino, file)

The COVID-19 pandemic has shown how the Earth can recover "if we allow it to rest" and must spur people to adopt simpler lifestyles to help a planet "groaning," under the constant demand for economic growth, Pope Francis said Tuesday.

In his latest, urgent appeal to help a fragile environment, Francis renewed his call for the cancellation of the debts of the most vulnerable countries. That action would be just, he said, since rich countries have exploited poorer nations' natural resources.

"In some ways, the current pandemic has led us to rediscover simpler and sustainable lifestyles," Francis said in a written message.

"Already we can see how the Earth can recover if we allow it to rest: the air becomes cleaner, the waters clearer, and animals have returned to many places from where they had previously disappeared," he wrote. "The pandemic has brought us to a crossroads."

The pontiff urged people to seize the opportunity to examine habits of energy usage, consumption, transportation, and diet.

Until now, "constant demand for growth and an endless cycle of production and consumption are exhausting the natural world," the pope said, adding, "Creation is groaning."

Francis hailed the indigenous communities that "live in harmony with the land and its multiple forms of life."

Citing the medical, social, and economic crises triggered by the pandemic, Francis said it was "time for restorative justice."

"We also need to ensure that the recovery packages being developed and deployed at global, regional and national levels must be regeneration packages,´´ Francis said, without naming any particular nations or regions.

Drawing attention to Earth´s fragility is a hallmark of Francis' papacy. He poignantly expressed the pressing responsibilities to heal and care for the environment in a 2015 encyclical.



Australia, Britain Sign 50-Year AUKUS Submarine Partnership Treaty

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (C) poses with Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong (L), Britain’s Foreign Secretary David Lammy (2nd-L), Britain’s Defense Secretary John Healey (2nd-R) and Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defense Richard Marles (R) before the start of the Australia-UK Ministerial Consultations (AUKMIN) meeting in Sydney on July 25, 2025. (AFP)
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (C) poses with Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong (L), Britain’s Foreign Secretary David Lammy (2nd-L), Britain’s Defense Secretary John Healey (2nd-R) and Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defense Richard Marles (R) before the start of the Australia-UK Ministerial Consultations (AUKMIN) meeting in Sydney on July 25, 2025. (AFP)
TT
20

Australia, Britain Sign 50-Year AUKUS Submarine Partnership Treaty

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (C) poses with Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong (L), Britain’s Foreign Secretary David Lammy (2nd-L), Britain’s Defense Secretary John Healey (2nd-R) and Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defense Richard Marles (R) before the start of the Australia-UK Ministerial Consultations (AUKMIN) meeting in Sydney on July 25, 2025. (AFP)
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (C) poses with Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong (L), Britain’s Foreign Secretary David Lammy (2nd-L), Britain’s Defense Secretary John Healey (2nd-R) and Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defense Richard Marles (R) before the start of the Australia-UK Ministerial Consultations (AUKMIN) meeting in Sydney on July 25, 2025. (AFP)

Australia’s government said on Saturday it signed a treaty with Britain to bolster cooperation over the next 50 years on the AUKUS nuclear submarine partnership.

The AUKUS pact, agreed upon by Australia, Britain and the US in 2021, aims to provide Australia with nuclear-powered attack submarines from the next decade to counter China’s ambitions in the Indo-Pacific. US President Donald Trump’s administration announced a formal review of the pact this year.

Defense Minister Richard Marles said in a statement that the bilateral treaty was signed with Britain’s Defense Secretary John Healey on Saturday after a meeting in the city of Geelong, in Victoria state.

“The Geelong Treaty will enable comprehensive cooperation on the design, build, operation, sustainment, and disposal of our SSN-AUKUS submarines,” the statement said.

The treaty was a “commitment for the next 50 years of UK-Australian bilateral defense cooperation under AUKUS Pillar I,” it said, adding that it built on the “strong foundation” of trilateral AUKUS cooperation.

Britain’s ministry of defense said this week that the bilateral treaty would underpin the two allies’ submarine programs and was expected to be worth up to 20 billion pounds ($27.1 billion) for Britain in exports over the next 25 years.

AUKUS is Australia’s biggest-ever defense project, with Canberra committing to spend A$368 billion over three decades to the program, which includes billions of dollars of investment in the US production base.

Australia, which this month paid A$800 million to the US in the second instalment under AUKUS, has maintained it is confident the pact will proceed.

The defense and foreign ministers of Australia and Britain held talks on Friday in Sydney on boosting cooperation, coinciding with Australia’s largest war games.

As many as 40,000 troops from 19 countries are taking part in the Talisman Sabre exercises held from July 13 to August 4, which Australia’s military has said are a rehearsal for joint warfare to maintain Indo-Pacific stability.

Britain has significantly increased its participation in the exercise co-hosted by Australia and the United States, with aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales taking part this year.