Pope’s Right-Hand Man on Ecology Reflects on the Moral Imperative to Fight Climate Change

In 2015, the Vatican published Pope Francis’ landmark encyclical Laudato Si’, which took a firm stance on climate change and urged people to “hear both the cry of the planet and the cry of the poor.” But even with the Pope’s advocacy for the climate movement, action has been slow, especially here in the U.S., where dioceses are reluctant to divest millions from fossil fuels and discuss climate issues with their congregations. We’ll talk with the Pope’s right-hand man on climate, Father Joshtrom Isaac Kureethadam, about the Catholic Church’s efforts to combat climate change and why the climate crisis is “not just a physical problem, but also a deeply moral one.”