Pope Francis parallels virus and environment

Pope Francis is urging world leaders draw lessons from the coronavirus pandemic and work together to protect the planet and the most vulnerable from environmental destruction and exploitation.

Francis issued the appeal Wednesday as he marked the 50th anniversary of Earth Day.

Francis has made environmentalism one of the hallmarks of his papacy, dedicating an entire encyclical to the need to protect God's Creation.

He denounced how a structurally perverse economic system allowed the rich to exploit the poor and turn the Earth into an immense pile of filth.

On Wednesday, he said: As the tragic coronavirus pandemic has taught us, we can overcome global challenges only by showing solidarity with one another and embracing the most vulnerable in our midst.

Francis has marked the lockdown period by praying each day for different sectors affected by the pandemic, from doctors and nurses to inmates and the elderly.

Francis cheered initiatives of young people to remind older generations of their failure to protect the planet, agreeing that: We have no future if we destroy the very environment that sustains us.