Pope Francis Comments on Coronavirus

"Mother Nature" topiary, Montreal.

Pope Francis has been quoted by UK Catholic publication The Tablet as saying, regarding the current COVID-19 crisis,

There is an expression in Spanish: “God always forgives, we forgive sometimes, but nature never forgives.” We did not respond to the partial catastrophes. Who now speaks of the fires in Australia, or remembers that 18 months ago a boat could cross the North Pole because the glaciers had all melted? Who speaks now of the floods? I don’t know if these are the revenge of nature, but they are certainly nature’s responses.

This is a disturbing comment coming from the head of the Catholic Church. It personifies “nature” and sees it as having free will and vast powers.

He also goes so far as to make the clear distinction between nature and God. Just so there can be no misunderstanding that he is merely using the one term to refer to the other.

This seems to confirm that his interest in and support of Pachamama some months ago was not innocent.

One suspects that the Spanish proverb he quotes is talking about nature figuratively, meaning natural laws: you cannot bargain with the law of gravity. If so, Francis misunderstands or misuses it. There is no science in drawing a causal link between COVID-19, the fires of Australia, and the (fictitious) melting of glaciers at the North Pole.

A monotheist might, indeed should, see in this present plague at least the passive will of God. Only a polytheist would see it as the independent action of some other spiritual being.

Put simply, the present pope is not Catholic.