Pope Francis has expressed his support for another liberal cause.
The pontiff was photographed recently with environmental activists
holding T-shirts with anti-fracking slogans during a meeting at the
Vatican.
The pope met with a group of Argentine activists to discuss hydraulic
fracturing, a method used to extract gas, petroleum and other
underground natural resources that contaminates ground water and creates
other environmental hazards.
The activists said
Pope Francis told then he was preparing an encyclical — a letter that
addresses Catholic teachings – about nature, humans and environmental
pollution.
The new pope has upset conservatives
with his open-minded comments on social issues, although most American Catholics say they agree with him.