The Pope's Climate Change Message Is Lost on Americans
Even a majority of the Catholics don’t know much about his climate change push
Pope Francis wears a plastic poncho as he waves to well-wishers after a mass in the Philippine city of Tacloban on Jan. 17, 2015.
Photographer: Johannes Eisele/AFP via Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
Pope Francis released a 180-page indictment of capitalism and climate change that has fallen, for the most part, on deaf ears in the U.S.
Just 31 percent of Americans know that the pope has made fights against global warming and poverty top issues, according to a national poll conducted by the Associated Press, the University of Chicago, and Yale University. Catholics reported familiarity with Pope Francis’s agenda in slightly larger numbers—40 percent—but a majority of the faithful remain unaware of the pontiff’s high-profile issues. His policy on climate change was released with great fanfare in June.