In his annual address to diplomats at the Vatican, Pope Francis condemned isolationism and called on nations to act out of “concern for the whole human family and its needs.”

The news comes as other countries in Asia are starting to waken to the threat posed by mountains of plastic left at refuse dumps or dumped at sea.

Catholic organizations called for greater personal responsibility in tackling climate change and stepped up their advocacy in opposing the rollback of U.S. environmental regulations during the last year.

Mary Robinson argues that “to deal with climate change we must simultaneously address the underlying injustice in our world and work to eradicate poverty, exclusion, and inequality.”

Catholic Relief Services is working with local partners to help determine the greatest needs of survivors of Indonesia's Dec. 22 tsunami.

The Holy See's chief delegate at the United Nations climate talks in Katowice, Poland, urged the development of stronger links among nongovernmental organizations in the drive for a final agreement as the two-week conference near its end.