Pope calls exploitation of nature a sin of our time

Pope Francis looks on as he leads a mass in Campobasso, south of Italy, July 5, 2014. REUTERS/Giampiero Sposito

CAMPOBASSO Italy (Reuters) - Pope Francis called for more respect for nature on Saturday, branding the destruction of South America's rain forests and other forms of environmental exploitation a sin of modern times.

In an address at the university of Molise, an agricultural and industrial region in southern Italy, Francis said the Earth should be allowed to give her fruits without being exploited.