Pope Francis spoke to UK's The Tablet on Wednesday to share hope not only for religious conversion in the face of the coronavirus pandemic but also for environmental conversion.
He compared the coronavirus to catastrophes including the Australian bushfires and polar ice caps melting.
"There is an expression in Spanish: 'God always forgives, we forgive sometimes, but nature never forgives' ... I don't know if these are the revenge of nature, but they are certainly nature's responses," Pope Francis said.
Pope Francis responded to a question about the possibility for “ecological conversion” in the face of the pandemic.
According to The New York Post, ecological or environmental conversion is the idea that followers of Catholicism should live more environmentally conscious lives through the understanding that the natural world is a creation of God.
Pope Francis, 83, has long spoken up for environmental causes. He published "Laudato si' " as an encyclical in 2015, calling all people to action to protect our common home in the face of climate change.
In his interview with The Tablet, Pope Francis ended with a call for integrity and compassion.
"Every crisis contains both danger and opportunity: the opportunity to move out from the danger. Today I believe we have to slow down our rate of production and consumption and to learn to understand and contemplate the natural world. We need to reconnect with our real surroundings. This is the opportunity for conversion." — Pope Francis
»MORE: Pope prays for 'fragile' humanity needing help in pandemic
The Vatican and St. Peter’s Basilica closed in early March as Italy’s cases of COVID-19 soared.
Pope Francis was tested for the coronavirus, but tests came back negative.
He said members of his staff at the Vatican were still working while practicing social distancing.
»RELATED: Pope reportedly tests negative for coronavirus, showing cold symptoms
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