Pope Francis Builds Moral Case for Fighting Climate Change

SuperPope Francis graffiti in Rome / NPR

Last month, Pope Francis released Care for Our Common Home, a powerful encyclical, designed to build the moral case for improving the environment and fighting climate change. He calls the climate a “common good” and decries the “abuse of the goods” the environment provides all of humanity. The Vatican published the encyclical in advance of Pope Francis’ tour of South America, his September tour of the U.S., and the critical UN climate change summit in Paris in December. At each stop in his South American tour, which just concluded, he made the case for environmentally and socially-responsible development, arguing that it’s the only way to save both the environment and help the poor. For example, in Ecuador, he said: “The goods of the Earth are meant for everyone, and however much someone may parade his property, it has a social mortgage.” Pope…