Pope Francis warns rising temperatures could cause another 'great flood'

In a book interview with Pope Francis set for release on Tuesday, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church dives into the history of the biblical flood and warns of a similar event in the near future – citing rising temperatures and melting glaciers. 

"The Bible says that the flood is the result of God’s wrath," Francis says in the book, "Of Vices and Virtues." "It is a figure of God’s wrath, who according to the Bible has seen too many bad things and decides to obliterate humanity.”

The Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera on Sunday released several snippets of the interview-style book written by Don Marco Pozza.

"The biblical flood, according to experts, is a mythical tale," the pope states. "The flood is a historical tale, archaeologists say, because they found traces of a flood in their excavations.”

Francis is his roughly eight years as pope has shown a willingness to enter the debate on controversial or political topic – including climate change.

"A great flood, perhaps due to a rise in temperature and the melting of the glaciers, is what will happen now if we continue along the same path,” he warns.