ROME, Italy — Climate change has brought the world to the “breaking point,” Pope Francis asserted in his introduction to a 3-day climate summit to be held in the Vatican in May.
A firm believer in the climate “crisis,” the pontiff wrote that he has “heartfelt concerns” for “our suffering planet,” contending that “the world in which we live is collapsing” because of humanity’s failure to adequately address the crisis.
It is “indubitable” that the impact of climate change will increasingly prejudice the lives and families of many persons, he contends, adding that its effects are already felt in the areas of “healthcare, sources of employment, access to resources, housing, forced migrations, etc.”
Citing the Bishops of the United States, the pope asserts that climate change “is one of the principal challenges facing society and the global community” and its effects “are borne by the most vulnerable people, whether at home or around the world.”
Indeed, San Diego Bishop Robert W. McElroy, whom Pope Francis elevated to the rank of cardinal in 2022, has argued that while abortion is a great evil, “the long-term death toll from unchecked climate change is larger and threatens the very future of humanity.”
Both abortion and climate change are “core life issues in the Catholic Church,” McElroy has declared, but neither should be identified as “preeminent.”
Curiously, Pope Francis has singled out the United States as particularly responsible for the climate “emergency” because of the “irresponsible lifestyle” of its citizens.
“If we consider that emissions per individual in the United States are about two times greater than those of individuals living in China, and about seven times greater than the average of the poorest countries, we can state that a broad change in the irresponsible lifestyle connected with the Western model would have a significant long-term impact,” the pope said last October.
The alert folks at The Pillar Catholic, an online Catholic news outlet, pointed out at the time that in fact “U.S. per capita emissions are less than 1.5 times that of China,” adding that China’s per capita emissions levels “are significantly higher than the global average.”
The pope also failed to mention that in aggregate, China’s emissions are more than double those of the United States, and America’s air is among the cleanest of any nation, while China’s air quality is among the poorest.
In his introduction to the Vatican summit, which will be held May 15-17, Francis states that climate change is “no longer a secondary or ideological question, but a drama that harms us all,” adding that climate change manifests “a tragic and striking example of structural sin.”