Pope Francis made his strongest statements yet about climate change Wednesday, rebuking fossil fuel companies and urging countries to make an immediate transition to renewable energy.

In a new document titled “Laudate Deum,” or “Praise God,” the pope criticizes oil and gas companies for greenwashing new fossil fuel projects and calls for more ambitious efforts in the West to tackle the climate crisis. In the landmark apostolic exhortation, a form of papal writing, Francis says that “avoiding an increase of a tenth of a degree in the global temperature would already suffice to alleviate some suffering for many people.”

“Laudate Deum” is a follow-up to the pope’s 2015 encyclical on climate change, known as “Laudato Si’,” which lamented the exploitation of the planet and cast the protection of the environment as a moral imperative. When it was released, “Laudato Si’” was viewed as an extraordinary move by the head of the Catholic Church to address global warming and its consequences.

Nearly a decade later, the pope’s message has taken on new urgency.

  • BB69@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    It’s fine you don’t care, but there’s something like 1.4 billion Catholics that probably do.

    • Son_of_dad@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Most Catholics don’t listen to the Pope. The Pope says Catholics must accept gay people, but go to the third world or central america and see if Catholics follow that one.

      • LifeBandit666@feddit.uk
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        1 year ago

        The Pope says Catholics must accept Gay people, but won’t give them the same right to marriage as straight people. Hypocrisy, although I guess he’s probably worried all his clergy will try and marry the kids they’re abusing.