Pope says coronavirus outbreak may be one of ‘nature’s responses’ to climate change

Pope Francis suggested that the outbreak of the novel coronavirus may be one of “nature’s responses” to people around the world ignoring the harsh consequences of climate change.

“There is an expression in Spanish: ‘God always forgives, we forgive sometimes, but nature never forgives,'” the Pope said in an interview with The Tablet, a Catholic weekly produced in the United Kingdom, that was published on Wednesday.

Asked about whether he thought the COVID-19 pandemic was an opportunity for an ecological conversion and a reassessment of our priorities and lifestyles, the Pope stressed that society has not responded to “partial catastrophes” stemming from the climate crisis.

“Who now speaks of the fires in Australia, or remembers that 18 months ago a boat could cross the North Pole because the glaciers had all melted?” he asked. “Who speaks now of the floods? I don’t know if these are the revenge of nature, but they are certainly nature’s responses.”

The novel coronavirus, which first appeared in Wuhan, China, in December, has spread to dozens of countries and infected more than 1 million people, according to a Johns Hopkins University database.

The Vatican closed Saint Peter’s Square and Basilica to the public in early March as its impacts became more pronounced throughout Italy. The Vatican has reported seven confirmed cases of the virus in its ranks.