Pope Leo decries 'dizzying' profits earned by polluting companies

Added: 2026-05-26

[00:00:00]Pope Leo has hit out at businesses that are making enormous profits at the cost of the environment and people's health.

[00:00:08]He made the comments on Saturday during a visit to a Terra, an area in Italy known as a hotbed for illegal dumping of toxic waste.

[00:00:20]I have come first of all to gather the tears of those who have lost loved ones.

[00:00:27]Killed by environmental pollution caused by unscrupulous people and organizations who have been allowed to act with impunity for too long.

[00:00:41]Leo, who in recent months has been speaking more forcefully, also referred to quote the dizzying profits of a few that are blind to the needs of people.

[00:00:51]He urged the world to quote resist the temptations of power and enrichment linked to practices that pollute the earth, water, air, and our coexistence.

[00:01:04]The Pope was greeted by [music] massive crowds, some holding up poster boards with pictures of family members who had died.

[00:01:13]He also met with victims.

[00:01:15]The European Court of Human Rights ruled last year that authorities had failed to protect residents from waste dumping since at least 1988.