A new focus on the environment? Pope Francis asks cardinals to back Vatican reform

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2015/02/a-new-focus-on-the-environment-pope-francis-asks-cardinals-to-back-vatican-reform/

A new focus on the environment? Pope Francis asks cardinals to back Vatican reform
Agence France-Presse
13 Feb 2015 at 08:32 ET

Pope Francis on Thursday urged Catholic cardinals to back his plans to reform the scandal-hit Vatican bureaucracy in order to help the Church reach out to believers more effectively, including on issues such as the environment.

The message came at the start of a two-day meeting of senior clerics from all corners of the globe which will review plans for the creation of two new super-ministries, one of which will include environmental issues among its responsibilities.

One ministry will focus on laity, family and life issues, the other on charity and peace, which will include the green issues on which Francis has indicated he wants the Church to take a lead.

The elevation of the environment to such a prominent position in the Church’s priorities is particularly significant in light of Francis’s view that climate change is mostly man-made.