Pope Francis is proposing adding care for the environment to the traditional, Gospel-inspired works of mercy that Christians are called to perform.
Francis made the proposal in a message on Thursday to mark the Church's World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, which he instituted last year in a bid to highlight his green agenda.
In the message, he said: "The Christian life involves the practice of the traditional seven corporal and seven spiritual works of mercy. We usually think of the works of mercy individually and in relation to a specific initiative: hospitals for the sick, soup kitchens for the hungry, shelters for the homeless, schools for those to be educated, the confessional and spiritual direction for those needing counsel and forgiveness… But if we look at the works of mercy as a whole, we see that the object of mercy is human life itself and everything it embraces.
