Pope Francis appealed directly to top oil company executives to help avert the global catastrophe of climate change, during a 2-day conference at the Vatican.

Pope Francis: “I encourage you, having demonstrated your aptitude for innovation and for improving the lives of many people by your creativeness and professional expertise, to use those skills in the service of two great needs in today’s world: the care of the poor and care for the environment. I invite you to be the core of a group of leaders who envision the global energy transition in a way that will take into account all the peoples of the Earth, as well as future generations and all species and all ecosystems.”

Among those in attendance were the heads of BP, ExxonMobil and the Italian energy giant Eni.