The same words have different meanings when usd by different people. Religious liberty to me includes the right not to be taxed to support any religion and government neither promoting nor restricting religion. That would mean in Australia the end of chaplains in public schools and subsidizing religious schoools. That would also mean the freedom to accept any or reject all religions. I'm sure the pope does not mean that by religious liberty. He has spoken against a secular society which I think is necessary for religious liberty.

The pope spoke on economic inequity and climate change. However, a prime threat to the curbing of both economic inequity and climate change is uncontrolled population growth. Without addressing that I do not think one can be serious about lessening economic inequity and climate change.

I agree with the pope that education is crucial. Where women are allowed access to education it is an effective means of population control as educated women tend to have fewer children. However, at the Cairo Population Conference the Catholic Church allied itself with the Islamic representatives. In return for Muslim opposition to abortion the Catholic representatives agreed to oppose education for women.

Religious liberty does not mean the same thing to me as it means to the pope. I cannot take the pope's concern with economic inequity and climate change seriously since he does not consider a major cause.

Well said David.

Whatever the pope says will not make the slightest bit of difference to anything. One fundamental reason is because he and the organization of which he is the head are very much part of the problem.

Besides which he is the head of the worlds oldest and successful criminal corporation - the catholic church altogether and the papacy in particular. See the Criminal History of the Papacy by Tony Bushby.

Sadly, the Pope has been misinformed on the subject of climate change. He has been misinformed by certain pressure groups who propagandise the dogma that man-made climate change is real. Those groups unquestionably accept anthropogenic global warming. They simply believe the alarmist assertions of the IPCC, that anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions are the driver of global warming, or in IPCC words, 'climate change'.

In fact neither the IPCC nor anyone else has been able to table scientific evidence that proves the IPCC hypothesis. The Pope needs to be made to realise that climate change is a natural process that has been going on since Earth's beginning.

The author is being disingenuous in suggesting that the Pope has gone quiet on opposing gay marriage, and that the Catholic Church is mellowing on the subject.

Like man-made climate change, there is no compelling scientific evidence that proves the hypothesis that certain humans are born gay. To engage in homosexual sexual behaviour is a choice. There are numerous examples whereby people have switched from heterosexual relationships to homosexual relationships, and vice versa. There are psychiatrists who are successful in assisting people to change their sexual orientation from homosexual to heterosexual.

Raycom evidence please to support your antigay stance.

To engage in heterosexual sexual behaviour is a choice.

Perhaps you will one day have a homosexual sexual experience, Raycom.

After all "There are numerous examples whereby people have switched from heterosexual relationships to homosexual relationships, and vice versa."

Dear Raycom,

As I mentioned in my first post population control is essential to deal with poverty and climate change. If we can induce more people to become exclusively homosexual and not produce babies we can decrease the birth rate. We need to persuade more people to become homosexual. I am 86, and it is too late for me. Raycom, maybe you can help to produce more homosexuals. They are needed.