The Bishop of Salford has called on the government to reconsider the damage that fracking can have on the environment. 

Rt Rev John Arnold, lead on environmental issues for the Roman Catholic Church, said it was a "short-term" solution.

His comments follow a letter sent by a Roman Catholic Church group to Business Secretary Jacob-Rees-Mogg questioning his policy on oil and gas.

The government said it is committed to achieving net zero emissions by 2050. 

Fracking is the process of drilling into the earth and directing a high-pressure mixture of water, sand and chemicals at a rock layer to release the gas inside.

Bishop John told Premier we all have a responsibility for our climate.

"Fracking could bring serious consequences. We should be getting away from fossil fuels and looking for forms of renewable energy, this doesn't make sense at all," he said. 

"It was good to hear at the Labour Party conference the other day, highlighting much more stringent measures on renewable energy and on protection of the environment. 

"That would seem to be the way to move ahead, we can't ignore the damage we're doing, not just to ourselves, but to our brothers and sisters around the world, by our exploitation really of resources. 

"This predicted climate catastrophe is not just a national concern is global.

"Pope Francis has been very clear that everything is connected, and we are responsible for exploitation, we may not have recognised our responsibility when it was happening, but we've now got the science that tells us of the damage we are doing."