Pope Francis to call for revolution of hearts and minds to stop climate change and global inequality in letter to world's 1.2billion Catholics
- Pope Francis to call for a stop to climate change and global inequality
- Due to send encyclical to Catholic bishops around the world on Thursday
- Expected to rally for a 'fundamental change of course to protect the earth'
- UN believes letter will have 'major impact' and could herald 'transformation'
Pope Francis (pictured) is to call for a stop to climate change and global inequality in a letter due to be sent to Catholic bishops around the world on Thursday
Pope Francis is to call for a stop to climate change and global inequality in a letter due to be sent to the world's 1.2billion Catholics.
In an unprecedented encyclical on environment, the Argentinian pontiff is expected to call for a 'fundamental change of course to protect the earth and its people'.
The UN believes the letter, which will be called 'Laudato Sii' or 'Praised Be' and is due to be published on Thursday, will have a 'major impact' and could herald the start of a 'transformation'.
In the letter, which will be sent to the 5,000 Catholic bishops around the world and published in five languages online, the Pope is expected to argue that the world faces ruin without a revolution in hearts and minds.
Cardinal Peter Turkson, of Ghana - who oversaw the drafting of the encyclical - said action to halt climate change was needed. He said the letter would address the root causes of poverty and the threats facing nature.
He told a conference on climate change at the Vatican earlier this year: 'We clearly need a fundamental change of course, to protect the earth and its people — which in turn will allow us to dignify humanity.'
The Pope's letter is likely to have a major impact in spurring UN negotiations on global warming and will add a moral dimension to work on climate change, experts predicted.
Christiana Figueres, the head of the UN Climate Change Secretariat, said: 'Pope Francis is personally committed to this issue like no other pope before him.
'I do think the encyclical is going to have a major impact.'
She said there was also a growing view among many governments, companies and investors that many actions to slow climate change would be economically profitable, rather than loss-making.
Combining moral and economic arguments could help a shift from fossil fuels towards renewable energies.
'I believe that the transformation is on its way, it is irreversible and it is only going to pick up speed,' she said.
The letter has been timed to coincide with talks between the Pope and Barack Obama and his address to the US Congress and the UN general assembly later this year.
Thousands of Italian scouts and girl guides flocked to the Vatican yesterday for an audience with Pope Francis
The assembled youngsters threw bandannas and scarves onto the Popemobile as it edged through the crowd
According to Vatican insiders, the encyclical will go beyond environmental concerns.
Archbishop Pedro Barreto Jimeno of Peru, one of the Pope's advisers, said: 'Pope Francis has repeatedly stated that the environment is not only an economic or political issue, but is an anthropological and ethical matter,' according to The Guardian.
Meanwhile, Barreto Jimeno told the Catholic News Service that the letter would 'address the issue of inequality in the distribution of resources'.
He also said topics such as food waste and the 'irresponsible exploitation of nature and the consequences for people's life and health' would also be addressed.
Although welcomed by environmentalists, news of the encyclical has already irked some conservative Catholics and climate change skeptics who believe the Pope is being 'misled'.
Joseph Bast, the president of the Heartland Institute, said in a statement: 'The Holy Father is being misled by "experts" at the United Nations who have proven unworthy of his trust.
'Though Pope Francis' heart is surely in the right place, he would do his flock and the world a disservice by putting his moral authority behind the United Nations' unscientific agenda on the climate.'
Marc Morano, of website Climate Depot, added: 'The Vatican and the pope should be arguing that fossil fuels are the moral choice for the developing world.'
Pope Francis met with dozens of children during the meeting with the scout organisation yesterday morning
Pope Francis (pictured) earlier announced that he may visit Kenya during his first official trip to Africa
Pope Francis individually blessed dozens of scouts and guides as they queued for a brief audience yesterday
Yesterday, Pope Francis met with thousands of boy scouts and girl guides in St Peter's Square in the Vatican.
The youngsters were members of the Association of Italian Catholic Guides and Scouts.
According to Vatican Radio, Pope Francis told them they are 'a precious part of the Church in Italy', and should be more than mere decoration on a Sunday.
The Pope's address came as he announced his first trip to Africa, admitting that he may even make it to Kenya.
He said: 'It's still not certain because there are organisational problems.
'If God wishes it to happen, I will go to Africa in November - to the Central African Republic and then Uganda.'
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