Pope Francis recently aired his views on topics ranging from what a real pro-lifer is to the undeniable reality of climate change. Just a few days earlier, Hollywood actress Jennifer Lawrence had also expressed her opinion on political developments and natural disasters in the US.
Responding to queries from Italian and English-speaking journalists during a press conference following his five-day visit to Colombia, Pope Francis underscored that climate change is a serious matter that should not be treated as a joke. When asked why some people seem to remain in denial when it comes to the impact of climate change, Francis quoted a verse from the Psalms referring to the man as "a stupid and hard-headed being" who fails to see, Crux reported.
The Pope also underscored the importance of prudence in today's political leaders. Separating families through restrictive policies is not pro-life, the pope said. Pressed for comment about the Trump Administration's planned repeal of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) that could have allowed around 800,000 immigrants brought to the US as minors to remain, Pope Francis admitted he had not studied the fine print of the new measure. Nonetheless, he expressed hope that the US government will reconsider its decision that would affect the future of many.
Open heart, open doors
Pope Francis lauded countries such as Italy and Greece that have opened their doors to migrants. He clarified that there are instances, though, when it is not enough to keep an open heart.
Some governments nowadays take a practical stance in evaluating how many people they can truly accommodate. Once they can ascertain that, the pope said they should proceed to integrate them into mainstream society.
Mother Nature's wrath
In other news, Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Lawrence expressed how difficult it has been to promote her new movie while hurricanes Harvey and Irma battered states and wrecked havoc in America and the Caribbean.
She described climate change as a scary thing, more so due to the alarming rate with which human activities continue to exacerbate it and how many people still choose to ignore it. The "Passengers" and "Mother!" actress said that as people witness three near parallel hurricanes affecting the US, it is simply impossible not to feel the impact of Mother Nature’s wrath.
The 27-year-old actress has also been vocal about political events taking shape in the US. She said Donald Trump does not confuse her, and that she knows exactly who he is. Lawrence expressed that the current state of events under the Trump Administration were quite disturbing.
