Today's Edition
ROME (dpa)
Pope Leo XIV has warned of the dangers of climate change as much of Europe swelters under a heatwave.
"Extreme natural phenomena caused by climate change provoked by human activity are growing in intensity and frequency, to say nothing of the medium and long-term effects on humans and the environmental devastation being wrought by armed conflicts," said the head of 1.4 billion Catholics worldwide in a letter.
He wrote that in various parts of the world "our earth is being ravaged."
The pope made his comments on a day of prayer for the preservation of creation proclaimed by the Catholic Church.
"On all sides," the pope continues, "injustice, violations of international law and the rights of peoples, grave inequalities and the greed that fuels them are spawning deforestation, pollution and the loss of biodiversity."
Leo warned that the medium and long-term effects of "ecological devastation" were not being sufficiently taken into account.
The pontiff has been in office since May as the successor to the late Pope Francis.
According to the Vatican, it is still unclear whether he will attend the World Climate Summit (COP30) in Brazil at the end of the year.
