Pope Francis: audience, appeal to avoid natural disasters

“Natural disasters could be avoided or at least limited, since their effects are often due to a lack of environmental care by man”. Pope Francis said this at the end of his weekly general audience, following his appeal for a “ceasefire” in Syria, before greeting the Italian-speaking faithful. Mentioning the International Day for Natural Disaster Reduction, which is celebrated tomorrow, Pope Francis called on everyone to “join far-sighted efforts in the protection of our common home, promoting a culture of prevention, also with the help of new advances, in order to reduce risks for the most vulnerable populations”.