Rome, Italy, Apr 24, 2016 / 15:10 pm
Pope Francis encouraged Christians to courageously venture into the metaphorical deserts of the world during a surprise visit to an Earth Day celebration in Rome Sunday.
"There are so many deserts in the cities, in the lives of people who have no future, because there are…always prejudices and fears," the Pope said in off-the-cuff remarks.
"We must not be afraid to go to the desert and transform it into a forest, where there's abundant life," he continued.
Francis admitted a common temptation to avoid entanglement in the lives of others. But, he said Christians must "never, never turn away in order to not see conflict."