(NewsInsights.org) – CBS aired a segment of correspondent Norah O’Donnell’s exclusive interview with Pope Francis in Rome on Wednesday, April 24. Climate change was among the various topics the two touched on in their discussions, and the Pope called people who deny climate change in the face of research showing its existence “foolish.”
O’Donnell spent several days in Rome, touring the Vatican and speaking with papal representatives in preparation for her interview with the Holy See. The clip CBS aired on its “Evening News” program showed her meeting 87-year-old Pope Francis as aides wheeled him into Casa Santa Marta, the guest house in the Vatican where he has chosen to live instead of the Papal Palace.
The pontiff granted the interview in preparation for the Vatican’s first World Children’s Day, which the church will hold in Saint Peter’s Square on May 25 through 26. The clip showed snippets of a much more comprehensive interview. The network intends to air more of the interview on the May 19 edition of “60 Minutes” and the full interview in a prime-time special on May 20.
During a voiceover in the clip, O’Donnell noted that Pope Francis became the first Holy See to prioritize climate change. He began emphasizing the need for substantive change in 2015. He even authorized projections of nature images onto the Vatican’s Saint Peter’s Basilica in December 2015 to raise awareness of changing environmental conditions.
So, when O’Donnell asked the pontiff what he would say to climate change deniers, the Pope seemingly reacted with disappointment and frustration. He told his interviewer that some people remain “foolish” even after experts show them research proving climate change is occurring. The leader suggested that perhaps some didn’t understand the situation, while others possibly followed financial motivations for ignoring the data. But he stated climate change exists.
The clip also touched on other subjects, including the conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine and how they are affecting children in both regions. O’Donnell pointed out that the pontiff regularly calls for peace in his public appearances. The Pope also touched on declining church attendance and a shrinking Catholic demographic in the US.
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