Essay by Eric Worrall
The first US pope is just as green as his predecessor.
Pope prays for world to recognize urgency of climate crisis as he celebrates Mass’ using new rite
BY NICOLE WINFIELD Updated 11:47 PM AEST, July 9, 2025
ROME (AP) — Pope Leo XIV prayed Wednesday for the world to recognize the urgency of the climate crisis and “hear the cry of the poor,” as he celebrated the first papal Mass using a new set of prayers and readings inspired by Pope Francis’ environmental legacy.
The Mass, in the gardens of the Vatican’s new ecological educational center at the papal summer estate in Castel Gandolfo, indicated a strong line of ecological continuity with Francis, who made environmental protection a hallmark of his pontificate.
Wearing flowing green vestments, Leo presided at the liturgy in front of a statue of the Madonna and at the foot of a reflecting pool, immersed in the lush green gardens on an unusually cool summer day. He said the world needed to change its mindset about the planet and what is causing “the world to burn.”
“We must pray for the conversion of so many people, inside and out of the church, who still don’t recognize the urgency of caring for our common home,” he said. “We see so many natural disasters in the world, nearly every day and in so many countries, that are in part caused by the excesses of being human, with our lifestyle.”
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Read more: https://apnews.com/article/pope-leo-green-mass-climate-justice-4a65f5d0897016d654589439032433b3
How depressing. Over the years US Catholic priests have notably pushed back against the increasingly radical green agenda of the church leadership, but I guess there is always an exception.
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