Encyclical on environment to be published next year

POPE FRANCIS is to publish an encyclical on climate change and plans to convene a meeting of faith leaders on the issue ahead of two crucial summits on the environment next year, writes Christopher Lamb.

The developments were revealed by Bishop Marcelo Sánchez Sorondo, Chancellor of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, when he delivered Cafod’s annual Pope Paul VI lecture on Friday last week.

While it is known that Pope Francis has been working on a climate change encyclical, its time of publication had not previously been made public. Bishop Sánchez, an Argentinian who is close to the Pope, said the encyclical would be produced in time to influence “next year’s crucial decisions”, which include a meeting in September at the United Nations to draft the Sustainable Development Goals and another gathering on climate change in Paris in December.

On the planned papal meeting, the bishop said the Pope wanted to bring leaders of the main religions together “to make all people aware of the state of our climate and the tragedy of social exclusion”. Earlier this year, in the journal Science, two academics called on the Vatican to mobilise public opinion on climate change.

Bishop Sánchez told The Tablet: “The Pope is very aware that the consequences of climate change affect all people, but especially the poor. This is the moral consequence and the moral imperative.”