Pope Francis has urged America to contribute more in the fight against climate change during a White House speech on Wednesday. But, a number of politicians, mostly from the Republican Party, are calling on their countrymen to ignore the Pope's message.

CBC News reported that it did not take long for the Pope to voice his concerns regarding the environment. He spoke in English to better communicate with his audience saying that climate change is a problem that needs to be solved today and should not be a burden for the next generation.

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To emphasize his seriousness about the matter, the Pope issued a papal letter with regard to global warming. He called for the consumption of fossil fuels to be drastically reduced in order to reverse the environmental damage inflicted on the planet. He also said that the world's poor are the first to suffer the consequences of climate change.

The Pope is the head of the Catholic Church with an estimated billion followers. His views on the environment could certainly persuade many of the faithful to reduce their use of carbon fossil fuels.

However, many American Catholics, including politicians, resent the Pope's message against global warming. A high ranking member of the congressional committee on energy, Republican Congresswoman Marash Blackburn, said that she does not believe the planet is experiencing global warming and even claims that the earth is already experiencing cooler temperatures.

The congresswoman would not, however, reveal where she got that information, according to the BBC. Republican legislators have already started a campaign to block President Barack Obama's initiative to reduce carbon fuel consumption.

Even Republican presidential candidates such Jeb Bush and Rick Santorum have said that the Pope should stick to religion.

Interestingly, Bill Maher, an atheist and television talk show host said that Santorum should have at least listened to what the Pope is saying since the politician is himself a Catholic.

Despite the mounting criticisms, Pope Francis has showed no signs of backing down and has agreed to meet with various environmentalist groups including those outside the Catholic faith.

TagsPope Francis, pope francis climate change, Catholic Church, global warming, President Barack Obama, Greenhouse gases, greenhouse reduction goals, Pope francis on environment, Pope Francis U.S. visit