Press Statement
UN General Assembly President’s visit to Holy See
©L’Osservatore Romano Photo
Vienna, 25 November 2016 – His Holiness Pope Francis received the President of the United Nations General Assembly, Peter Thomson, at the Vatican on 24 November. During their meeting, on behalf of the United Nations the President expressed thanks to His Holiness for his inspiring moral leadership on the preservation of the environment, including through the principles expressed in his Encyclical letter Laudato Si’, on the care for our common home.
The President expressed his deep gratefulness for the Pope’s concerns on the health of the Oceans and the threats posed by Ocean acidification, marine pollution and the loss of marine biodiversity.
The President also expressed the appreciation of the United Nations for the Pope’s tireless efforts on the promotion of the human rights and dignity of migrants and refugees.
In his visit to the Vatican, the President met with Cardinal Turkson, President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace and first prefect of the Dicastery for the Promotion of Integral Human Development. The President and the Cardinal discussed the implementation of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda. Their discussions gave particular weight to the importance of education of worldwide youth on the universal, integrated purpose of the Sustainable Development Goals.