The Pope, who has been vacationing outside Rome, thinks the world is undergoing a ‘crisis’.
Pope Leo XIV has given a strong warning about a “burning” planet, interrupting his two-week vacation to encourage Catholics to solve the climate disaster.
This is the Vatican’s second major appeal on global warming in a week.
During a small outdoor event in Castel Gandolfo, an Italian hill hamlet near Rome, the pontiff declared: “Today … we live in a world that is burning, both because of global warming and armed conflicts.”
On May 8, Pope Leo was elected to successor Francis. He emphasized the importance of praying for the conversion of many people. Many still do not understand the need of caring for our common home.”
While declining to name specific climate-related disasters, he described the worldwide situation as a “ecological crisis”.
Leo stated that the Catholic Church, which has 1.4 billion members, is dedicated to discussing the matter, “even when it requires the courage to oppose the destructive power of the princes of this world”.
The Mass included a prayer for the victims of Texas’ flash flooding, which killed at least 111 people and left 173 missing.
Leo celebrated Wednesday’s Mass according to a new Catholic rite that exhorts Christians to care for creation, which was initially released by the Vatican on July 3 as part of its latest effort to combat climate change.
Cardinal Michael Czerny, a senior Vatican official who assisted in organizing the Mass, said Leo’s choice to break his vacation demonstrates the significance the new pope will take on environmental issues.
“By offering this Mass … at the beginning of his holiday, Pope Leo is giving a beautiful example of thanking for God’s great gift and praying that the human family learns to care for our common home,” according to Cardinal Czerny.
Garden mass
Francis, who died on April 21, was a strong advocate for creation care. He was the first pope to accept the scientific consensus on climate change, urging governments to limit carbon emissions in accordance with the 2015 Paris climate accord.
Leo is renewing a centuries-old practice of popes vacationing in Castel Gandolfo, a small hill hamlet of around 8,900 people on Lake Albano’s shores, from July 6 to 20.
Residents have expressed anticipation that Leo’s visit will promote tourism, with people expected to attend public religious events with the pope on July 13 and 20.