“The earth, our home, is beginning to look more and more like an immense pile of filth.” This was Pope Francis’s summary of his Encyclical earlier this year on the alleged destruction of our planet. The leading culprit, in his view, is humanity’s use of fossil FOSL +0.00% fuels, which he believes are immoral and should largely be illegal.

This week, the Pope will be meeting with the President, addressing a joint session of Congress, and speaking to a crowd of over a million in Philadelphia, sharing his views in the name of concern for humanity, particularly the poor.

“Like no pope before him,” according to the New York Times, “Francis is using the grand stage of his trip to the United States to demonstrate that the church exists to serve the poor and marginalized.”

But if he wants to help humanity, especially the poorest human beings, Pope Francis needs to recognize that fossil fuels make Earth not a “pile of filth,” but a far better, healthier, cleaner, and more bountiful place to live.

Read the article “How Pope Francis’s Crusade against Fossil Fuels Could Hurt the Poor Most of All” on forbes.com.