Pope Francis is warning that the Earth could be facing a second great flood — similar to the one that Noah and his family faced — should planetary leaders not quickly address “injustice” and the scourge of anthropogenic global warming. The pontiff made the remarks in a new book titled Of Vices and Virtues by Don Marco Pozza, the chaplain of the Padua prison.
The book — basically a book length interview with Pope Francis — was released on March 2 in Italian by Rizzoli Publishers. An excerpt was published on Sunday in Corriere Della Sera, an Italian newspaper.
“A great deluge, perhaps due to a rise in temperature and the melting of the glaciers: what will happen now if we continue on the same path,” Pope Francis said.
The Pope made the remark while speaking on the much broader topic of God’s wrath against evil and injustice.
“God’s wrath is against injustice, against Satan. It is directed against evil, not that which derives from human weakness, but evil of Satanic inspiration: the corruption generated by Satan, behind which single men, single women, entire societies go. God’s wrath is meant to bring justice, ‘clean up,’” the 84-year-old Francis said.
“The flood is a result of God’s wrath,” the Pope continued. “He is a figure of God’s wrath, who according to the Bible has seen too many bad things and decides to obliterate humanity. The biblical [flood], according to experts, is a mythical tale. (Now I hope someone doesn’t argue that the Pope said the Bible is a myth!) But myth is a form of knowledge. The flood is a historical tale, archaeologists say, because they found traces of a flood in their excavations.”
“The story of Noah shows that God’s wrath is also a savior,” Francis concluded.
The excerpt also included Francis’s thoughts on prudence in government, saying that “prudence is an essential virtue for those who govern.” The Pope also spoke about faith and doubt in the lives of Christians.
The release of these papal remarks comes in advance of the Pope’s visit to Iraq this week. It is the first papal visit to any country since the COVID-19 pandemic began and is believed to be the first visit by any pope to a Middle Eastern country besides Israel.
It is hoped that the visit will bolster the Christian population of the region, which had suffered so terribly under ISIS rule. Christians still find themselves under attack by Islamic extremists in the region.
The trip will include a meeting between Francis and the Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, the spiritual leader of Iraqi Shia Muslims. Open Doors, which maintains a world watchlist of Christian persecution, currently lists Iraq as the 11th most dangerous country for Christians.
Hopefully, the Pope can use his influence to make some inroads in Iraq about the treatment of Christians there.
But he may wish to study the Great Flood a little more.
Pope Francis describes the evil events preceding the flood accurately enough. Genesis 6:5 says, “And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thought of his heart was only evil continually.”
We all know the story. Noah alone was found righteous by God; the ark was built and the flood destroyed everything but Noah, his family, and the animals on the Ark. God’s wrath fulfilled, just as Francis described.
But there was more to it than that. After the flood receded and Noah and his family got to work rebuilding the world, God made a covenant with Noah and his descendants. Among God’s promises: “And I will establish my covenant with you, neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there be any more a flood to destroy the earth.” — Genesis 9:11.
Is Pope Francis calling God a liar? Doesn’t the leader of the Catholic Church believe that God will keep His word?
In times past, the question, “Is the Pope Catholic?” has been a sarcastic reply to a question for which the answer is an obvious “yes.” However, Pope Francis’ many unorthodox views and expressions of support for “progressive” policies that are at variance with Catholic teaching — on communism, socialism, capitalism, Islam, immigration, radical environmentalism, “gay marriage,” divorce, pagan worship, etc. — have many conservative and traditional Catholics seriously asking, “Is the Pope Catholic?”
