Pope "Mic Drop" Video Might Be Best Commentary On Climate Encyclical Yet

onJun 17, 2015 @ 21:43 PDT

We’ve already seen Pope Francis cast as an action hero in an epic movie trailer for his encyclical on climate justice, but this might be the best take yet: The Pope gets up on stage to drop a few rhymes — and the mic — at an otherwise dull open mic night.

“Cynical about my encyclical? I’m lovin it! /
No government can overcome our covenant.”

With this type of attention being paid to the Pope’s climate message, it’s no wonder the usual climate denier suspects are lining up to attack the Pope’s credibility.

Watch:

The video was made by NYC-based filmmaker Brian Lannin.

Pope as rapper? Maybe not as far-fetched as you think:

#PopeFrancis & his crew. Dropping beats and an #encyclical. #climatechange #popeforplanet pic.twitter.com/go2KlPqaBR

— Shanelle Matthews (@TheShanelleM) June 18, 2015

By Mike Gaworecki

Mike Gaworecki is a San Francisco-based journalist who writes about energy, climate, and forest issues for DeSmogBlog and Mongabay.com. His writing has appeared on BillMoyers.com, Alternet, Treehugger, Change.org, Huffington Post, and more. He is also a novelist whose debut “The Mysticist” came out via FreemadeSF in 2014.

us/Ohio Denies Evidence of Fracking Waste in Drinking Water. Its Own Records Show Otherwise.

ByJustin Nobel

on Oct 30, 2026 @ 09:02 PDT

As more than a billion gallons of oil and gas wastewater flood beneath Ohio, pollution concerns reach its heated governor’s race.

President Trump Unveils EPA’s New Contradictory Methane Proposal at Campaign Rally

ByRachel Santarsiero

on Oct 30, 2026 @ 06:00 PDT

The agency is loosening methane rules while keeping its authority to regulate them. Critics say the stance leaves federal climate law in limbo, inviting a bigger rollback later.