The pope, during a 10-minute appearance via video at the New York City event, encouraged people to persevere in the face of hardship and discussed the need to address climate change, protect children, and end war."Sisters and brothers, children of God ... I always encourage, and I want to do so here as well, all women and men of goodwill not to give up in the face of difficulties," the pope said in his remarks.
The pontiff also addressed climate change and called on the world to"work together to stop the ecological catastrophe before it's too late." The pope noted that he is working on a follow-up to his 2015 encyclical letter Laudato Si', which urged care for the environment and expressed concern over climate change.