Pope Francis: ‘Catastrophic' if Interests Derail Climate Talks
Francis has made ecological concerns a hallmark of his nearly 3-year-old papacy.
By Tom Odula ••
Pope Francis warned Thursday that it would be "catastrophic" for world leaders to let special interest groups get in the way of a global agreement to curb fossil fuel emissions as he brought his environmental message to the heart of Africa on the eve of crucial climate change talks in Paris.
Francis issued the pointed warning in a speech to the U.N.'s regional office here after celebrating his first public Mass on the continent. The joyous, rain-soaked ceremony before 300,000 faithful saw the Argentine pope being serenaded by ululating Swahili singers, swaying nuns, Maasai tribesmen and dancing children dressed in the colors of Kenya's flag.
AP
Pope Francis looks out of his car after being greeted by President Barack Obama, and first lady Michelle Obama at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland.
AP
Clergy brace for the wind as they stand along the red carpet on the tarmac at Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland, Sept. 22, 2015, as Pope Francis arrives.
Getty Images
Pope Francis waves from the back of his Fiat after arriving from Cuba September 22, 2015 at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland. Francis will be visiting Washington, New York City and Philadelphia during his first trip to the United States as Pope.
AP
Workers set up rows of chairs in preparation of the Pope's visit at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Sept. 21, 2015, in Washington.
AP
President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama greet Pope Francis upon his arrival at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2015.
AP
A Park Service Police Officer checks his telephone while waiting for Pope Francis departure from the Apostolic Nunciature, the Vatican's diplomatic mission in Washington, Sept. 23, 2015.
AP
Vice President Joe Biden and his wife Jill await the arrival of Pope Francis, Sept. 23, 2015, on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington.
Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images
US President Barack Obama and Pope Francis watch the Fife and Drum Corps during an arrival ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, September 23, 2015.
AP
Children of parents who work at the Lithuanian Embassy take selfies with Pope Francis as he departs the Apostolic Nunciature, the Vatican's diplomatic mission in Washington, Sept. 23, 2015.
Vincenzo Pinto/AFP/Getty Images
US President Barack Obama and Pope Francis wave during an arrival ceremony at the White House on September 23, 2015 in Washington,DC.
Luke Russert
Nuns waiting outside of The Catholic University of America ahead of Pope Francis' Mass.
Pope Francis waves to the crowd as he rides in a popemobile along a parade route around the National Mall on September 23, 2015 in Washington, DC.
AP
Pope Francis attends a Midday Prayer Service at the Cathedral of St. Matthew in Washington, Sept. 23, 2015.
AP
Pope Francis greets well-wishers as he departs the Apostolic Nunciature, the Vatican's diplomatic mission inWashington, Sept. 23, 2015.
AFP/Getty Images
Pope Francis performs Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. on September 23, 2015.
Getty Images
The choir sings for Pope Francis at Midday Prayer of the Divine with more than 300 U.S. Bishops at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle on September 23, 2015 in Washington, D.C.
AP
A child is escorted back before Pope Francis called for the child to be brought to him, during a parade in Washington, Sept. 23, 2015.
AP
Raul Cruz, from suburban Los Angeles, holds his daughter Sophie Cruz, 5, after an interview with the Associated Press in Washington, Sept. 23, 2015. Sophie crossed a police barricade to greet Pope Francis during his parade.
AP
A group protesting the canonization of Junipero Serra gathers in a small mission cemetery at the Carmel Mission, Sept. 23, 2015, in Carmel-By-The-Sea, California. Pope Francis canonized Serra in the first canonization on U.S. soil.
AFP/Getty Images
Pope Francis performs Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. on September 23, 2015.
Getty Images
Pope Francis arrives for the canonization Mass for Junipero Serra at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception on September 23, 2015 in Washington, DC.
AP
President Barack Obama talks with Pope Francis in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Sept. 23, 2015.
Pete Souza
Pope Francis meets the Obama's dogs, Bo and Sunny, in the Blue Room of the White House on his visit Sept 23, 2015.
Pope Francis give the thumbs-up from the popemobile during a parade around the Ellipse near the White House in Washington, Sept. 23, 2015.
Getty Images
Father Matthew Schneider poses for a portrait in his "Popemoji" t-shirt, September 23, 2015 in Washington, D.C.
Bill Clark/Roll Call/Pool
Speaker of the House John Boehner, R-Ohio, right, greets Pope Francis in the U.S. Capitol building as the Pope arrives to deliver his speech to a joint meeting of Congress on Thursday, Sept. 24, 2015.
Photo by Doug Mills/Pool/The New York Times/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
Pope Francis blesses a child beside U.S. Speaker of the House John Boehner and Vice President Joe Biden in Statuary Hall at the U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C. on September 24, 2015.
Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP/Getty Images
Pope Francis (C) waves, next to US Vice President Joe Biden (2L) and US Speaker of the House John Boehner (3R) at the Capitol building in Washington, DC, after addressing the US Congress on September 24, 2015.
AP
Nuns from the order of the Servants of the Lord pose for a photograph as they wait outside the U.S. Capitol for a chance to see Pope Francis in Washington, Sept. 24, 2015.
Carolyn Kaster/AP
Pope Francis addresses a joint meeting of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2015, making history as the first pontiff to do so.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Pope Francis addresses a joint meeting of the U.S. Congress in the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol on September 24, 2015 in Washington, DC. Pope Francis is the first pope to address a joint meeting of Congress.
Doug Mills/The New York Times via AP, Pool
Pope Francis, accompanied by members of Congress, waves to the crowd from the Speakers Balcony on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2015, after addressing a joint meeting of Congress inside.
Getty Images
Pope Francis speaks at St. Patrick's Catholic Church September 24, 2015 in Washington, D.C. The Pope is on his first trip to the United States, visiting Washington, D.C, New York and Philadelphia.
Getty Images
Kaydn Dorsey, 4, left, and Lionel Perkins, 4, draw on a coloring sheet bearing the image of Pope Francis as they wait for him to arrive on a visit to Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington September 24, 2015, in Washington, D.C. The charity serves dinner to about 300 homeless people daily at the site, and it will serve a meal during the pope's visit.
Jewel SamadAFP/Getty Images
Pope Francis places a white rose on the names of the September 11 victims at the edge of the South Pool of the 9/11 memorial in New York on September 25, 2015.
Susan Watts/New York Daily News via AP, Pool
Pope Francis visits the 9/11 Museum, Friday, Sept. 25, 2015 in New York.
Elyse Perlmutter-Gumbiner/NBC News
A nun is checked by a TSA agent in Philadelphia ahead of the pope's arrival, Sept. 26, 2015.
AP
Pope Francis is flanked by United Nations Secretary Ban Ki-moon as they arrive at the United Nations headquarters, Sept. 25, 2015.
Getty Images
Pope Francis makes his way up Fifth Avenue toward St. Patrick's Cathedral in the popemobile September 24, 2015 in New York City.
Getty Images
Police stand watch outside St. Patrick's Cathedral awaiting the arrival of Pope Francis September 24, 2015 in New York City.
Vincezno PintoAFP/Getty Images
Pope Francis enters Madison Square Garden to lead mass on September 25, 2015 in New York City.
Michael Appleton/Pool/Getty Images
Pope Francis celebrates Mass at Madison Square Garden on September 25, 2015 in New York City.
AP
Pope Francis stops to meet people after arriving at Philadelphia International Airport in Philadelphia, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2015.
Pope Francis blesses Michael Keating, 10, after arriving at the Philadelphia airport. Keating has cerebral palsy.
AP
Dominican Sisters from Nashville, Tenn., talk in view of City Hall ahead of the Festival of Families, Sept. 26, 2015, in Philadelphia.
AP
Pope Francis delivers his homily during a Mass at Cathedral Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul, Sept. 26, 2015, in Philadelphia.
AP
The wind lifts Pope Francis' mantle as he delivers his speech in front of Independence Hall, Sept. 26, 2015, in Philadelphia.
Getty Images
People cheer and wave Pope Francis dolls as they gather along Benjamin Franklin Parkway as they await the arrival of Pope Francis at the Festival of Families on September 26, 2015 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Pope Francis is wrapping up his trip to the United States with two days in Philadelphia where he will attend the Festival of Families and will meet with prisoners at the Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility.
@JesseHliu
Pope Francis blesses a small baby while riding in the popemobile through the streets of Philadelphia, Sept. 26 2015.
Getty Images
Pope Francis hugs a disabled man during the Festival of Families on September 26, 2015 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
AP
New Jersey Air Force National Guard members patrol the Benjamin Franklin Bridge, Sept. 27, 2015, in Philadelphia. The bridge was shut down to vehicular traffic over the weekend during the Pope Francis' visit to the city.
AP
Pope Francis speaks in front of Independence Hall, from the lectern used by President Abraham Lincoln during the Gettysburg Address, Sept. 26, 2015 in Philadelphia.
AP
Pam Kessler, left, of Montclair, N.J., helps her mother Carmen Kessler, 84, of Queens, N.Y., put a glove on as they wait for a Mass conducted by Pope Francis to begin along Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Sept. 27, 2015, in Philadelphia.
AP
Pope Francis greets inmates during his visit to Curran Fromhold Correctional Facility in Philadelphia, Sept. 27, 2015.
Anna McNichol, 10, looks through binoculars to see Pope Francis on the altar in Philadelphia, Sept. 27, 2015.
Getty Images
Pope Francis celebrates mass at the World Meeting of Families at Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Sept. 27, 2015 n Philadelphia.
AP
Bellatrix, left, and Addie, right, have their picture taken by pedestrians as they are walked outside the Pennsylvania Convention Center, host of the World Meeting of Families conference, Sept. 25, 2015, in Philadelphia.
AP
A man holds a child as Pope Francis celebrates Mass, Sept. 27, 2015, in Philadelphia.
AP
Pope Francis looks at the Statue of Liberty from the window of a helicopter on his way to the John F. Kennedy International Airport, in New York, Sept. 26, 2015.
AP
Pope Francis looks out the window a plane as he prepares to depart Philadelphia International Airport in Philadelphia, Sept. 27, 2015, on his way back to Rome.
Francis has made ecological concerns a hallmark of his nearly 3-year-old papacy, issuing a landmark encyclical earlier this year that paired the need to care for the environment with the need to care for humanity's most vulnerable. Francis argues the two are interconnected since the poor often suffer the most from the effects of global warming, and are largely excluded from today's fossil-fuel based global economy that is heating up the planet.
A child who was carried from the crowd touches Pope Francis' face during a parade on his way to celebrate Sunday Mass on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia, Sept. 27, 2015.
AP
Pope Francis waves from his popemobile as he heads to celebrate Mass at the conclusion of the World Meeting of Families along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia, Sept. 27, 2015.
Getty Images
Pope Francis bends to kiss a small child as he arrives at Independence Mall to watch Pope Francis speak, Sept. 26, 2015 in Philadelphia.
Getty Images
Pope Francis blesses a baby in the Popemobile during a parade September 27, 2015 in Philadelphia.
Pope Francis blesses a girl in the Popemobile during a parade September 27, 2015 in Philadelphia.
Pope Francis kisses a small child, September 26, 2015 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Getty Images
Pope Francis blesses a boy in the Popemobile during a parade, Sept. 27, 2015 in Philadelphia.
Getty Images
Pope Francis blesses a baby in the Popemobile during a parade September 27, 2015 in Philadelphia.
Pope Francis looks to a baby that he just kissed as he pauses in the popemobile during a parade along Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia, Sept. 27, 2015, on his way to celebrate mass.
Getty Images
Pope Francis pauses to kiss a baby as he rides in his popemobile, September 26, 2015 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Pope Francis blesses a child in Philadelphia during the last leg of his trip.
AP
Pope Francis reaches to give a blessing to Sophie Cruz, 5, from suburban Los Angeles, during a parade in Washington, Sept. 23, 2015.
On Thursday, Francis repeated that message but took particular aim at those who reject the science behind global warming. In the United States, that includes some Republican presidential candidates and lawmakers, who have opposed steps President Barack Obama has taken on his own to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
"It would be sad, and dare I say even catastrophic, were special interests to prevail over the common good and lead to manipulating information in order to protect their own plans and interests," Francis said.
Pope Francis has drawn worldwide attention for many of the things he has said and done since his election. But will his papacy have a lasting impact on the Catholic Church?
He didn't elaborate, but in the United States at least, there has been a well-funded campaign that rejects the findings of 97 percent of climate scientists that global warming is likely man-made and insists that any heating of the Earth is natural. Politicians have cited these claims in their arguments that emissions cuts will hurt the economy.
Francis' message was praised by NASA historian Erik Conway, who co-wrote the 2010 book "Merchants of Doubt," which detailed the attempts by far-right institutions and like-minded scientists to discredit the science behind global warming and spread confusion in the public.
Conway said it was difficult to determine today how much money is still being directed into climate change denial since much if it goes through foundations.
"But what that funding has achieved is the nearly complete conversion of Republican Party leadership into denial of human-caused climate change as well as public confusion over the content of the science," he said in an email.
Francis, who has said global warming is "mainly" man-made, said the world was faced with a stark choice in Paris: either improve or destroy the environment. He said he hoped the Paris talks would approve a "transformational" agreement to fight poverty and protect the environment by developing a new energy system that depends on minimal fossil fuel use.
"Many are the faces, the stories and the evident effects on the lives of thousands of people for whom the culture of deterioration and waste has allowed to be sacrificed before the idols of profits and consumption," he said. "We cannot remain indifferent in the face of this. We have no right."
His speech followed a similarly emphatic one before the U.N. General Assembly in New York in September, and in various speeches on his travels to South America and Asia.
Thursday was the second day in a row that Francis had touched on environmental concerns after he arrived in Kenya for a six-day pilgrimage that also takes him to Uganda on Friday and the conflict-ridden Central African Republic.
Francis' first full day in Africa began with a meeting with about 25 Kenyan Christian and Muslim leaders. He warned them that they had little choice but to engage in dialogue to guard against the "barbarous" Islamic extremist attacks that have struck the country.
"Dialogue is not a luxury. It is not something extra or optional, but essential," he said.
He later celebrated Mass before about 300,000 people at the University of Nairobi, where he received a raucous welcome from the crowd as he zoomed around in his open-sided popemobile, some 10,000 police providing security. Some people had been at the university since 3 a.m., braving heavy showers that turned the grounds into enormous, slick mud puddles. Others waited in queues 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) deep to get close to the venue.
"I am a Catholic and I believe he is godsend," said Nelly Ndunge, 29, as she waited to see Francis at the Mass. She said Francis' visit to Kenya was a blessing because it would renew her faith - and had boosted her printing business: She said she had already sold nearly 3,000 copies of a 2016 calendar with the pope's portrait on it.
Still others turned back, fearing a stampede given the disorganized security.
"We were all disappointed," said Sarah Ondiso, a senior government official. "The organizers could have done better."
The size of the crowd - estimated by both police and the Vatican - was far smaller than the 1.4 million that Kenyan authorities had expected after declaring Thursday a national holiday. Vatican officials had predicted a maximum of a half-million people, and said the lower number was apparently due to accreditation and ticketing problems.
In his homily, Francis appealed for traditional family values, calling for Kenyans to "resist practices which foster arrogance in men, hurt or demean women, don't care for the elderly and threaten the life of the innocent unborn."
The African church is among the most conservative in the world, and African bishops have been at the forefront in insisting that traditional church teachings on marriage and sexuality, and its opposition to abortion, be strongly emphasized.
Francis obliged, but also stressed issues of his own concern: He called for Kenyans to shape a more just society that looks out for the poor and to "reject everything that leads to prejudice and discrimination, for these things are not of God."
It wasn't immediately clear what he was referring to. But in the crowd, there were Kenyans wearing t-shirts and toting umbrellas reading "Who Am I to Judge" - a reference to Francis' famous quip when asked about a purportedly gay priest. The citation has often been taken to embody Francis' insistence that gays must be welcomed in the church and not discriminated against.
