Pope Francis berated rich northern countries Monday which he said "owed an ecological debt" to the south for exploiting their natural resources.

In a short video address, the head of the Catholic Church warned that the planet's resources were being exploited "as if it was an orange."

"Let us pray that the planet's resources are not plundered, but shared in an equitable and respectful manner," the pope said on his Global Prayer Network.

Ecological debts were being incurred "when multinational corporations do outside their countries what they are not allowed to do at home," the pope said.

Such a situation is "revolting", said Francis, the former archbishop of Buenos Aires, the first pope from the Americas and the southern hemisphere.

He did not mention any countries by name.

Known for his outspoken views on poverty and the environment, the Argentine-born Jorge Mario Bergoglio back in 2015 blamed developed economies for an impending environmental catastrophe.

The pope then described the position of the south in the global capitalist system as "structurally perverse."

Earlier this year, the pope was quick to link mankind's disregard for the environment to the coronavirus pandemic as it swept across the world.