Pope Francis appears to be contemplating the of “ecological sin” to the Catholic catechism, based on remarks he recently made members of the International Association of Penal Law.

“We have to introduce, we are thinking about it, in the catechism of the Catholic Church, the sin against ecology, the sin against our common home, because it’s a duty,” he said. The pope’s words came just weeks after the conclusion of a bishops’ summit on the Amazon focused on the environmental threat to the region. Francis was speaking to the 20th world congress of the International Association of Penal Law, held in Rome Nov. 13-16, under the scope of “Criminal Justice and Corporate Business.” He also said that the culture of waste, combined with other widespread phenomena in welfare societies, is showing the “serious tendency to degenerate into a culture of hatred.”

Francis also called on the international community to recognize ecocide as a “fifth category of crime against peace.”

According to the Rome Statute, which was adopted by the International Criminal Court in 1998, the four core international crimes currently established are: crimes against humanity, genocide, war crimes and crimes of aggression. In the synod’s final document, bishops defined ecological sin as a sin against God and future generations that “manifests itself in acts and habits of pollution and destruction of the harmony of the environment.”

Given that I am a climate heretic, as well as a practicing Catholic, I guess I will be heading to confession far more frequently than I do.

It appears that I am not the only Catholic contemplating the consequence of defining “ecological sins.”

@Pontifex A new sin~No more smoke for selecting new popes(cough)!

No pope mobile or jets~environmental sin!! The church has many internal issues; now we are casting sin on its people~mea culpa sir! I think Christ would have a tear when you are luke warm on killing babies~a sin! — marcia trella (@marcia_trella) November 18, 2019

How does one rank ecological sins? Mortal or venial?

On that account; shutting down operating nuclear reactors would be a mortal environmental sin https://t.co/8rQ5zjnjPz — Dick McDonald (@dick_rjm5) November 18, 2019

By now, many Legal Insurrection readers will have seen Congressman Eric Swalwell’s flatulence video.

Which has Catholics testing out the new rules:

Breaking: The Pope has declared Eric Swalwell’s fart on MSNBC earlier today as an “environmental sin”. 12 Hail Mary’s and an impeachment inquiry with an anonymous whistleblower (Chris Matthews) will testify before the House as punishment. — hurl (@TheReal_Hurl) November 19, 2019



