Pope Francis rebukes climate change deniers, calls for health care to be untied to finances

OAKLAND, Calif. – Pope Francis today issued a message to a meeting on implementing the Paris accord, calling on the negotiators not to fall for the “perverse attitudes” of those who deny the science behind global warming. He also urged lawmakers at a different meeting of medical associations to untie health care from finances, arguing that the poor are worse off trying to obtain quality health care because they cannot afford it.

POPE FRANCIS AND THE CARING SOCIETY, a recent book published by the Independent Institute, addresses Pope Francis’ comments about climate change in the encyclical Laudato si’, and gives context to his ever-present call to aid those most afflicted by poverty.

Robert Whaples, editor of POPE FRANCIS AND THE CARING SOCIETY, writes in the introduction of the book that “Even in [Pope Francis’] environmental encyclical, Laudato si’, his focus is as much on the poor as it is on the environment.”

The messages of the popular pope usually receive wide audiences and, at times, are taken out of context, or receive little context as to why and how he came to the views he did, which the book addresses specifically in areas of economics and the environment.

According to The Washington Post, Pope Francis called climate change “one of the most worrisome phenomena that humanity is facing.” He urged negotiators to take action free of special interests and political or economic pressures, and to instead engage in an honest dialogue about the future of the planet.

This dialogue Pope Francis calls for is the premise of the book, which Whaples is available to speak about.

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For more information, to request a review copy or to schedule an interview Robert Whaples: