Pope says revised environmental encyclical will be released on October 4

Pope Francis said the updated document will be revealed on October 4 (AP)

Pope Francis has said he will release an update to his landmark 2015 environmental encyclical on October 4 – the feast of his nature-loving namesake, St Francis of Assisi.

Francis has called for an end to the “senseless war against our common home”, having recently revealed he was writing a “second part” to the document “to address current problems”.