Pope Francis has warned that mankind is facing a second great flood caused by climate change unless leaders act to fix corruption and injustice.
The 84-year-old said that, in the story of the great flood in the Bible, God used his wrath to punish injustice and "clean up" the world.
He then added that humanity is facing another "great deluge", perhaps due to a rise in temperature and the melting of glaciers.
"[That is] what will happen now if we continue on the same path," he said.
Francis made the comments to Italian writer Marco Pozza, who is also chaplain of Padua prison, in a new book that is due to be published in March.
While discussing justice, Francis brings up the example of the biblical flood which destroyed the world except for Noah - who was deemed virtuous enough to survive, Daily Mail reported.
The flood itself may have been a myth, Francis says, but it is used as an example to show how God uses wrath to punish injustice and right wrongs in the world.
