Pope Francis' highly anticipated manifesto on climate change was released Thursday, with some people saying that the language and strength of his message was stunning.

In calling for a "bold cultural revolution" on the environment, Pope Francis said the global economy is "structurally perverse" and is exploiting the poor while turning the Earth into "an immense pile of filth."

Why now for the pope's message? And what does it mean locally?

The Rev. J. Bryan Hehir, a professor of religion and public life at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government and the secretary of health care and social services in the Archdiocese of Boston, joined WBUR's Morning Edition to discuss the pope's message.

To hear the full interview, click on the audio player above.

Correction: An earlier version of this most misspelled Rev. J. Bryan Hehir's last name. We regret the error.