From Pope Francis' address to the United Nations General Assembly this morning:
"First, it must be stated that a true 'right of the environment' does exist, for two reasons. First, because we human beings are part of the environment. We live in communion with it, since the environment itself entails ethical limits which human activity must acknowledge and respect. Man, for all his remarkable gifts, which 'are signs of a uniqueness which transcends the spheres of physics and biology', is at the same time a part of these spheres. He possesses a body shaped by physical, chemical and biological elements, and can only survive and develop if the ecological environment is favourable. Any harm done to the environment, therefore, is harm done to humanity. Second, because every creature, particularly a living creature, has an intrinsic value, in its existence, its life, its beauty and its interdependence with other creatures. We Christians, together with the other monotheistic religions, believe that the universe is the fruit of a loving decision by the Creator, who permits man respectfully to use creation for the good of his fellow men and for the glory of the Creator; he is not authorized to abuse it, much less to destroy it. In all religions, the environment is a fundamental good. (emphasis added)This is perhaps the best statement to counter the right-wing's refrain that the Pope shouldn't speak about climate change since it's not a religious issue. The Pope has framed it as a moral issue, tied to Christianity's belief in the Creation as the deity's work. He's simply shining a light on their greed and disregard for the fragile Earth that they wish to plunder for profit, and they don't like it.
