Pope calls for social justice on planet’s resources

Pope Francis has used his tour of South America to drive home his new message linking social justice with environmental protection.

"One thing is certain: we can no longer turn our backs on reality, on our brothers and sisters, on Mother Earth," he said in a speech in Ecuador.

"The goods of the earth are meant for everyone, and however much someone may parade his property, it has a social mortgage".

"The tapping of natural resources, which are so abundant in Ecuador, must not be concerned with short-term benefits. As stewards of these riches which we have received, we have an obligation toward society as a whole and towards future generations," he said.

His comments are based on an important document released this year by the Vatican, called a Papal Encyclical, which sets out the duties of the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics.

In it, Pope Francis marked a radical shift towards environmentalism for the church by stating that countries had an urgent and compelling need to combat global warming by reducing their carbon emissions. This was both in order to protect the world’s poor from the worst effects of global warming, and to uphold the inherent dignity of ‘creation’.

The Pope’s comments in South America come ahead of his tour of the United States, where his message is expected to generate much controversy.

Read more about Pope Francis’ environmental stance here.