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)
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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.



Major Search Continues after Deadly Migrant Boat Sinking Off Cyprus Coast

Handout obtained from Cypriot government’s Joint Rescue Coordination Centre shows migrant boat in Mediterranen waters east of Cape Greco in southeastern Cyprus ahead of a rescue operation. (File/AFP)
Handout obtained from Cypriot government’s Joint Rescue Coordination Centre shows migrant boat in Mediterranen waters east of Cape Greco in southeastern Cyprus ahead of a rescue operation. (File/AFP)
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Major Search Continues after Deadly Migrant Boat Sinking Off Cyprus Coast

Handout obtained from Cypriot government’s Joint Rescue Coordination Centre shows migrant boat in Mediterranen waters east of Cape Greco in southeastern Cyprus ahead of a rescue operation. (File/AFP)
Handout obtained from Cypriot government’s Joint Rescue Coordination Centre shows migrant boat in Mediterranen waters east of Cape Greco in southeastern Cyprus ahead of a rescue operation. (File/AFP)

A major rescue operation continued Tuesday off the southern coast of Cyprus after a migrant boat sank in international waters, with no additional survivors or bodies found since the initial recovery, official said.

Authorities Monday said seven bodies had been recovered and two people rescued some 45 kilometers (28 miles) south of Cyprus. Officials said the boat was believed to be carrying at least 20 Syrians, The Associated Press reported.

The island republic's Joint Rescue Coordination Center confirmed an ongoing operation involving military helicopters, rescue vessels and drones, assisted by a helicopter from a British base on Cyprus.

“As time passes and no other people are found, hope naturally and dramatically diminishes,” Defense Minister Vasilis Palmas told a press briefing late Monday.

The rescue effort is taking place amid rising irregular border crossings in the eastern Mediterranean, according to the European Union border protection agency Frontex, despite a broader decline across the bloc.

Cypriot officials said they continue to monitor increased maritime movement from Lebanon and Syria amid ongoing regional instability.

Justice Minister Marios Hartsiotis said the first survivor had been spotted during a routine patrol. After that, he said, “the response was immediate, which is why we managed to save the second person very quickly.”