Vatican cardinal backs fossil fuel nonproliferation treaty

ROME (AP) — A top Vatican cardinal has endorsed calls for a fossil fuels nonproliferation treaty. Cardinal Michael Czerny is the Canadian Jesuit who runs the Vatican’s ecology and development office, He said Thursday that all new exploration and production of oil must be phased out to prevent global temperatures from rising to a “precipice.” Czerny made the comments while presenting Pope Francis’ annual message about caring for God’s creation. In the message, Francis repeated his call for an end to industrial extraction practices used in mining, tapping oil and forestry. Francis has made environmental stewardship a priority of his pontificate and authorized the Holy See to sign onto U.N. climate agreements.