The following is a joint statement by the leadership of the three Maryknoll entities: the Maryknoll Sisters, Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers, and Maryknoll Lay Missioners.
On the occasion of his first visit to the United States, the leadership of the Maryknoll Sisters, Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers, and the Maryknoll Lay Missioners offer a warm welcome to Pope Francis.
We especially want to express our heartfelt gratitude to the Holy Father forLaudato Si’, the historic encyclical on the environment that challenges all Catholics and people of good will to examine our conscience and ask: “What kind of world do we want to leave those who come after us, to children who are now growing up?” (Laudato Si’, #160).
In Laudato Si’ Pope Francis shows the fundamental link betweensocial exclusion and environmental devastation, two major concerns of Maryknoll missioners today. Around the world Maryknoll Sisters, Lay Missioners, Affiliates, Fathers and Brothers witness the manifestations of climate change in the global south that are affecting the marginalized communities they serve: lack of food security, water availability, and changing weather patterns that most often threaten lives and livelihoods of people with the fewest economic resources and options…