I see where the Australian bishops have opposed the Adani coal mine venture because of “climate warming”. As a lifelong Catholic of 85 years I am not aware of any authority or expertise which allows these reverend gentlemen to pronounce such a verdict without providing some scientific data and subsequent reasoning which might lead to their conclusion. Surely that is a reasonable request ? It might help their cogitations to consider that satellite recordings show NO rise in global temperature over the past twenty years, and that Australia’s hottest day on record was in 1828. At the moment, in an area where they actually have authority and expertise, i.e. in education, after 13 years of schooling, only 2 % of our children retain their faith. If that is the best they can do in their own specialty, what qualifies them to pontificate on climate warming ? It might help them to reflect on St. John Paul’s warning to the clergy of Rome, “ ……not to water down their priestly charism with exaggerated interest in social problems”.