The world must urgently divest itself of fossil fuels and end the “senseless war on creation,” Pope Francis said Thursday in a new plea on climate change that calls for repentance for “ecological sins.” Francis has made environmental protection a cornerstone of his pontificate, noting in his landmark 2015 encyclical “Laudato Si” (Be Praised) that the planet was “becoming increasingly like a huge pile of dirt.” In a message for the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, he said the U.N. climate summit meeting in Dubai from Nov. 30 to Dec. 12 “must listen to science and establish a swift and just transition to end the era of fossil fuels.” “In line with the commitments made in the Paris Agreement to limit global warming, it is absurd to allow the exploration and expansion of fossil fuel infrastructure to continue,” he added. "Unrestricted burning of fossil fuels and deforestation are pushing temperatures higher and leading to massive droughts," Francis said, also criticizing oil and gas fracking and "uncontrolled mega-mining projects." (Reuters)

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