A man paddles his boat along a marsh in late March on the Pomeroon River in Guyana. With the participation of U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, the Pontifical Academy of Sciences is hosting a summit, "Protect the Earth, Dignify Humanity," at the Vatican April 28. (CNS photo / Bob Roller)
"The vocation of being a protector, it means protecting all creation, the beauty of the created world."
- Pope Francis, from his homily for inaugural papal Mass, on the feast of St. Joseph, March 19, 2013, and noted in the NCR series Pope's Eco Quotes as part of Francis: The Environment Encyclical
