Pope Francis’ linked his prayer intention for the month of September to the Season of Crea-tion, running until the Feast of St Francis of Assisi on 4 October. In a short video released on 30 August announcing his intention – “For the cry of the Earth” – the Pope said: “If we took the planet’s temp-erature, it would tell us that the Earth has a fever and it is sick, just like anyone who’s sick.”
He said that “dealing with the environmental crisis caused by humans, such as cli-mate change, pollution, or the loss of biodiversity, begs responses that are not only ecological but are also social, economic, and political.” Francis emphasised the need to “commit ourselves to the fight against poverty and the protection of nature, changing our personal and community habits.”