EarthBeat Weekly: Pope Francis’ ecological conversion on the way to Laudato Si’
By Barbara Fraser
National Catholic Reporter
September 11, 2020
Brazilian bishops' concern about the Amazon helped shape the pope's views
Even popes need a conversion sometimes.
In conversations with Italian environmental activist Carlo Petrini, published in a new book, Pope Francis revealed that more than a decade ago, he did not understand why Brazil's bishops were so insistent about environmental issues in the Amazon.
His conversion in recent years to awareness of the importance of climate change, other environmental crises and land rights has strengthened the church's stance on those issues in Latin America and shown that the problems are not just regional, but global.