Nice (France).- "There is no room to hide", assured this Wednesday the Ghanaian cardinal Peter Turkson when intervening on behalf of the Holy See in the plenary of the third United Nations Conference on the Oceans (UNOC3) in Nice (France).
"Dialogue and listening are needed," Turkson said, "so that ethics prevail over local and fleeting interests."
After greeting the summit participants on behalf of Pope Leo XIV, the cardinal called for "an integrated approach" to address the problems of the ocean.
"The Pope invites us to build bridges based on justice, fraternity, peace and truth. A good ocean governance system would be a good response," he affirmed.
Turkson also alluded to the tenth anniversary that is now being celebrated of Pope Francis' encyclical Laudato Si, dedicated to the care of "the common home" which is the planet.
"This document, which looked to the future, not only denounced activities that had a negative effect, but also recalled the effects of positive policies to create sanctuaries in the oceans," he pointed out.
The cardinal referred to challenges such as marine litter or the management of the high seas, which demand "an agreement in practice".
"This conference is held with the aim of reinforcing the governance of this common good," he insisted.
Turkson highlighted that "a correct management" of the ocean "requires effective multilateralism" and an equal involvement of "states, local authorities, civil society, the private sector, religious groups and indigenous populations".
"We need to reinforce that conviction that we are a single family," he stressed in the plenary session of the Conference, which is in its third day of work in Nice.
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