Pope Francis, in his encyclical “Laudato Si’,” urges the world to take better care of the environment (“Pope’s plea on climate ‘crisis’ applauded by some Mainers,” June 19). As a moral issue, one has to ask: What took so long?

In the encyclical he addresses climate change, drinking water, car pooling, planting trees, turning off lights and other feel-good actions.

Where was the call to restrict rampant population growth, to rethink the Catholic Church’s position on contraception? With a population of 7 billion and counting, nothing else matters if we can’t come to grips with our compulsion to be fruitful and multiply.

Kurt Woltersdorf

Sanford

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