WARSAW, Poland (CNS) – Climate change represents an “ethical challenge to civilization,” said the Vatican’s lead representative to an international conference discussing the worldwide impact of climate change.

Archbishop Celestino Migliore told attendees at a Church-run conference that the Vatican would help “form consciences and ethical perspectives” on climate change in line with Catholic social teaching and encourage “fairness, impartiality and mutual responsibility” when it came to action to address the environmental threat.

The Church-run conference met, coinciding with the intergovernmental Conference of Parties of the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change in the Polish capital.

The conference, hosted by Caritas Poland and Warsaw’s Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski University, brought together Catholic leaders, politicians, climate scientists and civil society groups.