Pope Francis Decries ‘Climate Injustice’ and ‘War on Creation’

In his message released Thursday for the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, Pope Francis has condemned “the senseless war against creation” while calling for an end to fracking and fossil fuel use.

“Consumerist greed, fueled by selfish hearts, is disrupting the planet’s water cycle,” the Pope wrote. “The unrestrained burning of fossil fuels and the destruction of forests are pushing temperatures higher and leading to massive droughts.”

In his message, the pope denounced “predatory industries” that are “depleting and polluting our freshwater sources through extreme practices such as fracking for oil and gas extraction, unchecked mega-mining projects, and intensive animal farming.”

The “heartbeat of creation and the heartbeat of God,” he insisted, today “do not beat in harmony; they are not harmonized in justice and peace.”

“Let us heed our call to stand with the victims of environmental and climate injustice, and to put an end to the senseless war against creation,” he urged in the message.

The pope called on humanity to “repent of our ‘ecological sins,’” which “harm the world of nature and our fellow men and women.”

“It is clear that the richer nations have contracted an ‘ecological debt’ that must be paid,” Francis argued, and world leaders “must listen to science and institute a rapid and equitable transition to end the era of fossil fuel.”

It is “absurd to permit the continued exploration and expansion of fossil fuel infrastructures,” he argues. “Let us raise our voices to halt this injustice towards the poor and towards our children, who will bear the worst effects of climate change.”