Pope Francis apparently isn’t too pleased with those who deny the impact of human activity on climate change, with the pontiff saying that “man is stupid” in response to such ideological stances.
The pope made his comments while on his way back to the Vatican from Colombia on Sunday; he was speaking about political leaders, among others, who refuse to accept climate change, referencing a passage from Psalms, The New York Times reported.
“Man is stupid, the Bible said,” the pontiff told reporters. “It’s like that, when you don’t want to see, you don’t see.”
These comments came after Pope Francis was asked about the recent hurricanes that hit the Caribbean and U.S., with the Catholic leader imploring critics of climate change to speak with scientists about what’s been unfolding.
“Those who deny this must go to the scientists and ask them. They speak very clearly,” he said, according to The Associated Press. “These aren’t opinions pulled out of thin air. They are very clear. Then they [leaders] decide and history will judge those decisions.”
Pope Francis’ comments once again put him at odds with U.S. President Donald Trump, who has questioned the merits of climate change. The two met back in May, with the pontiff giving Trump a copy of his much-discussed encyclical on the environment.
As The Washington Post reported back in 2015, the encyclical, titled “Laudato Si” (“Be Praised” or “Praised Be”), warned of the impact of climate change, said the Earth is getting warmer, charged that wealthy nations are harming poorer ones and that some Christians have misinterpreted scripture.
The pontiff said Bible-believers “must forcefully reject the notion that our being created in God’s image and given dominion over the earth justifies absolute domination over other creatures.”