Pope Francis is convening a Vatican summit in May to address the growing threat of climate change.
He believes the world has reached a “breaking point” due to humanity’s failure to curb climate change, which is negatively impacting lives through health issues, employment, resources and migration.
While abortion remains evil, “the long-term death toll from unchecked climate change is larger and threatens the very future of humanity,” San Diego Bishop Robert W. McElroy said.
Abortion and climate change are “core life issues in the Catholic Church,” McElroy said.
While the US bishops also view climate change as a major challenge, Francis singled out the US for its “irresponsible lifestyle” and disproportionate emissions.
“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 in 2023.
However, others have noted China’s emissions are double that of the US, with poorer air quality, and that US per capita emissions are less than China’s and below the global average.
Francis contends climate change amounts to a “dramatic and striking” example of structural sin harming all of humanity.
Climate change is “no longer a secondary or ideological question, but a drama that harms us all,” noting that climate change is “a tragic and striking example of structural sin.”
