Pope concerned for Amazon and indigenous peoples, says its first cardinal

Pope Francis waves as he leads the Angelus prayer from his window, at the Vatican July 31, 2022. Vatican Media/Handout via REUTERS

MANAUS, Brazil (Reuters) - Pope Francis will install the first cardinal of Brazil's Amazon region this month in a sign of his concern for the rainforest and its indigenous inhabitants, the man whom he picked for the role said.

Dom Leonardo Steiner, archbishop of the Brazilian city of Manaus, said in an interview that Francis, the first pope from Latin America, is worried about deforestation, threats to indigenous cultures and pollution of rivers with mercury used by gold miners in the Amazon.