海角大神

Republican 2016 presidential candidate Rick Santorum may profess to be a fan of Pope Francis, but that doesn鈥檛 stop the Pennsylvania senator from disagreeing with the pontiff鈥檚 views.

In an interview Monday with Philadelphia radio host Dom Giordano, the former Pennsylvania senator, a practicing Roman Catholic, said he thinks the pope should stop talking about climate change and leave 鈥渟cience to the scientists.鈥� Pope Francis, the spiritual leader of the world鈥檚 1.2 billion Catholics, has expressed his views on issues such as same-sex marriage and evolution, and has spoken many times on the need to respect and protect the environment.

In June, he is also set to release a papal encyclical聽(a position letter sent to every Catholic bishop) addressing the moral dimensions of climate change 鈥� the first of its kind for the Vatican.

Mr. Santorum, who has criticized the pope before, told Mr. Giordano that such actions are a step away from what the Roman Catholic church is supposed to represent.

鈥淚 would just say this: The church has gotten it wrong a few times on science, and I think that we probably are better off leaving science to the scientists and focusing on what we're really good at, which is theology and morality,鈥� the former senator said.

鈥淎nd I think when we get involved with political and controversial scientific theories, then I think the church is probably not as forceful and credible,鈥� Santorum added.

Santorum has called climate change 鈥渁 hoax," and in 2012 said that聽鈥淚f you leave it to Nature, then Nature will do what Nature does, which is boom and bust,鈥澛� Santorum said at an energy summit. 鈥淲e were put on this Earth as creatures of God to have dominion over the Earth, to use it wisely and steward it wisely, but for our benefit not for the Earth's benefit.鈥澛�

And many Republican candidates for US president have said that efforts to respond to climate change will undermine the economy.聽

But Pope Francis, who holds a chemistry degree and worked as chemical technician prior to entering the seminary,聽is aligning his view with聽NASA, which has said, 鈥淐limate-warming trends over the past century are very likely due to human activities.鈥澛�

The pope has repeatedly called for action on the issue. 鈥淥n climate change, there is a clear, definitive and ineluctable ethical imperative to act," he has said.聽

He may not be veering far off-course from the positions held by those before him.聽His predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, was a staunch conservative, and yet was known as the 鈥淕reen Pope鈥� for making similar calls to protect the environment.

鈥淓nvironmental protection and the connection between fighting poverty and fighting climate change are important areas for the promotion of integral human development,鈥� Pope Benedict said during a 2012 diplomatic address.

Pope John Paul II had also emphasized the importance of the relationship between peace in society and caring for the environment.

鈥淚n our day, there is a growing awareness that world peace is threatened 鈥� by a lack of due respect for nature,鈥� he said in his message for the 1990 World Day of Peace. 鈥淭he ecological crisis reveals the urgent moral need for a new solidarity.鈥�

Still, Santorum is not alone in his criticism of Pope Francis鈥� vocal stance climate change.

In April, shortly before the Vatican held a summit on the issue, two groups expressing doubt about global climate change held a press conference in Rome to warn the pope against speaking on the subject, according to the National Catholic Reporter.

鈥淚t is not the business of the church to stray from the field of faith and morals and wander into the playground that is science,鈥� Christopher Monckton, a devout Catholic who has long played a lead role in the climate skeptic movement and an advisor to former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, said at the conference. 鈥淪tand back and listen to both sides. And do not take sides in politics.鈥�

Others, however, have expressed support for both the pope and the struggle against climate change. Last month, a group of Catholic leaders engaged in environmental issues met in Rome to come up with ways to promote the pope鈥檚 encyclical to the faithful around the world, according to the Reporter.

鈥淐limate change hits the poorest first and hardest, and will leave an unnecessarily dire legacy for future generations,鈥� Allen Ottaro, director of the Kenya-based Catholic Youth Network for Environmental Sustainability in Africa, said. 鈥淲e Catholics need to step up against climate change and raise a strong voice asking political leaders to take action urgently.鈥�