Pope laments destruction of forests to plant soy

Pope Francis waves as he arrives to attend an audience for altar servers at St. Peter's Square in Vatican City August 4, 2015. REUTERS/Giampiero Sposito

(Reuters) - Pope Francis criticised the destruction of forests in order to plant soy in an interview with an Argentine radio station on Saturday, reinforcing his message that the environment should take precedence over financial gain.

"It hurts me in my soul when I see deforestation to plant soy," said the pope in an interview with two priests at Radio Parroquial Virgen del Carmen in Campo Gallo, a tiny parish radio station in the poor northern province of Santiago del Estero in his native Argentina.