By Philip Pullella
SYDNEY (Reuters) - Pope Benedict called on Thursday for theearth to be protected for future generations, saying the worldhad been "scarred" with erosion and deforestation and itsoceans squandered to fuel an insatiable consumption.
Addressing some 150,000 young Catholic pilgrims in Sydney,the pope said some had come from island homes whose veryexistence was threatened by rising sea levels and others fromdrought-hit nations such as Australia.
The pontiff told the World Youth Day gathering on theshores of Sydney Harbour that protecting the environment was"of vital importance to humanity".
On his flight from Rome to Sydney, the pope said hewitnessed the sparkle of the Mediterranean, the grandeur of thenorth Africa desert, the lushness of Asia's forests and thevastness of the Pacific Ocean.
"It is as though one catches glimpses of the Genesiscreation story -- light and darkness, the sun and the moon, thewaters, the earth and living creatures," he said.
"Reluctantly we come to acknowledge that there are alsoscars which mark the surface of our earth, erosion,deforestation, the squandering of the world's mineral and oceanresources in order to fuel an insatiable consumption."
In an earlier welcoming speech to Australian Prime MinisterKevin Rudd, the pope said: "It is appropriate to reflect uponthe kind of world we are handing on to future generations".
He said there was a "need to protect the environment and toexercise responsible stewardship of the goods of the earth".
The pope said Australia was "making a serious commitment"to saving the environment. The Rudd government is in the throwsof preparing a carbon trading system aimed at cuttinggreenhouse gases by 60 percent of 2000 levels by 2050.
Australia, one of the world's highest per capita greenhouseemitters due to coal-fired power stations, is in the grip ofthe worst drought in 100 years and is struggling to save itsmajor river system that feeds the nation's food belt.
POPE THANKS ABORIGINES
The pope also praised Australia for apologising for pastinjustices to Aborigines, saying it was a courageous move torepair race relations and offered hope to the rest of theworld.
Rudd officially apologised to Aborigines in February.
Australia's 460,000 Aborigines make up about 2 percent ofthe country's 21 million population and have consistentlyhigher rates of unemployment, substance abuse and domesticviolence, as well as a life expectancy 17 years less than otherAustralians.
The pope thanked Aborigines for a traditional welcomingceremony on Thursday, before he sailed up Sydney Harbour togreet World Youth Day pilgrims and, as is the tradition inAustralia, acknowledged Aborigines are the first people ofAustralia.
"I am deeply moved to stand on your land, knowing thesuffering and injustices it has borne, but aware too of thehealing and hope that now at work...," he said.
The Catholic Church hopes World Youth Day, the brainchildof the late Pope John Paul II, will revitalise the world'syoung Catholics at a time when the cult of the individual andconsumerism has become big distractions in their daily lives.
The pope said the "social world" also had scars,highlighting alcohol and drug abuse, violence and sexualdegradation. He questioned how the media's portrayal ofviolence and sexual exploitation can be considered"entertainment".
He warned young pilgrims "do not be fooled by those who seeyou as just another consumer".
The pope has said he will apologise to Australian victimsof sexual abuse in the church during his visit. Broken Rites,which represents abuse victims, has a list of 107 convictionsfor church abuse, but says there may be thousands more victims.
The pope confronted the issue of sexual abuse in the churchduring a visit to Washington in April, meeting victims andvowing to keep paedophiles out of the priesthood.
Some sex abuse victims plan to protest against the papalvisit in Sydney, along with a group called "No Pope" whichopposes church teachings on sex, marriage and abortion.
(Writing by Michael Perry; Editing by Alex Richardson)
